We Believe in Christmas
Kindergarten-Grade 2–This plodding poem never manages to convey the wondrous awe to which the author alludes. Then when we talk of wondrous awe,/no matter what we see,/let's think back in wondrous awe, and/there will Christmas be. Brown's vibrant, if somewhat static, paintings show a multiethnic group of children and adults getting costumed and ready for the traditional pageant, while the leaden couplets try to coax readers into thinking about the true meaning of the holiday. The disconnect between the words and the more engaging illustrations limit the appeal of this offering.Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library