Little Robin’s Christmas

PreS-K–A week before Christmas, Little Robin gathers his seven different-colored vests to wear during the cold winter. Dressed in his white one, he goes skating on the pond and meets Frog. Frog is so cold that Little Robin gives him the vest. On the sixth day before Christmas, the bird meets a freezing hedgehog and offers his green vest. On each of the remaining days before Christmas, Little Robin gives one of his vests in succession to Mole, Squirrel, Rabbit, Otter, and Mouse. Each time, he reasons that he still has other vests. But with his last gift, he has none left, and, still “a long way from home and very cold,” he sits huddled on a roof and falls asleep. This being Christmas Eve, Santa lands on the roof, tucks the little bird “into [his] soft white beard,” and flies him home to Mrs. Claus, who knits him a little red vest. The large digitally created illustrations present the animal characters against snowy landscapes, their facial expressions and body language alternating between distress at the numbing cold and exuberant gratitude for the warmth provided by Little Robin’s gifts. Little Robin’s struggles to fit his small vests onto the larger animals and Rabbit’s decision to wear his on his ears provide some humor.