The 13th Day of Christmas

K-Gr 5–This humorous book explores a multitude of issues arriving after Trudy, the main character’s true love, sends him a Christmas gift of a partridge in a pear tree. “You’ve probably heard the song they wrote about me,” the hero laments on the page before the story begins. After the title page, a spread shows all of the gifts from “The 12 Days of Christmas” crowded inside the main character’s house. At first the gifts make him miserable, but eventually they make him happy to the point of singing “Joy to the World” to Trudy upon her return. Readers of all ages will laugh along with the antics in the story. Digitally created artwork depicts the scenes in fabulous details as they unfold, adding to the humor. Text bubbles make it clear as to who is speaking. The concept of the gift of giving is presented several times in the story and would make a good teaching point. This would also make an excellent holiday read-aloud.