Relive a magical moment from The Wind in the Willows and follow Santa Claus down the chimney in "A Visit from St. Nicholas." These and other best-loved Christmas tales, poems, and carols come to life through Kevin Hawkes's glowing paintings in A Christmas Treasury: Very Merry Stories and Poems. This keepsake collection is perfect for family story hours and will cheer hearts for many Christmases to come. Gr 2-4-An ideal showcase for Hawkes's artistic abilities. The collection contains three traditional pieces ("Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," "The Friendly Beasts," and "A Visit from St. Nicholas"); an excerpt from The Wind in the Willows; and a story by Albert Bigelow Paine, "Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn." The dense text may be better suited to family sharing than independent reading. Full-color paintings are lush and luminous with lots of clever details. However, with its limited number of selections, this title may not be a first choice for libraries looking for holiday anthologies. Michael Forman's Christmas Treasury (Pavilion, 2000) is a far more comprehensive volume.-T. T. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Gr. 2-5. Hawkes adds delightful decoration to this appealing selection of poetry and story. There's a wonderful excerpt from Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows that depicts Mole's hospitality and Ratty's resourcefulness. In a lesser-known but equally charming inclusion by Albert Bigelow Paine, "Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn," Hawkes' pictures place readers in the middle of cozy scenes showing Mr. Dog diligently preparing a Christmas surprise for his friends in the Big Deep Woods. Also included are two traditional Christmas carols, "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" and "The Friendly Beasts," and Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Demonstrating sympathy for holiday sentiment and tradition and an eye for charm, Hawkes' artwork brings vibrant life to the familiar words. Shelley Townsend-Hudson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Relive a magical moment from The Wind in the Willows and follow Santa Claus down the chimney in "A Visit from St. Nicholas." These and other best-loved Christmas tales, poems, and carols come to life through Kevin Hawkes's glowing paintings in A Christmas Treasury: Very Merry Stories and Poems. This keepsake collection is perfect for family story hours and will cheer hearts for many Christmases to come. Kevin Hawkes is the illustrator of more than thirty-five acclaimed picture books and chapter books, including the New York Times bestseller Library Lion, Weslandia , and Sidewalk Circus . He lives with his charming wife and children in southern Maine, where he is often found wandering aimlessly in his garden. Possibly wearing a woolly red hat. Used Book in Good Condition