(2) 1-3 In this reissue of a classic fable (rev. 12/69), a girl who has never heard of Christmas heads into a snowy forest to search for it. There she meets five animals who want to know, variously and aptly, how ­Christmas feels (the cat); smells (hound dog); looks (hawk); tastes (fox); and sounds (­mockingbird). When the questers come across an old green bottle, they decide that it “must be a Christmas” and disperse, disappointed. But the girl takes the bottle home, fills it with branches of red berries and green pine -- “and lo! It was Christmas!” Hyman’s lively prose reflects each animal’s preoccupations beautifully; her mostly monochromatic illustrations, with pops of color such as red for the girl’s stocking cap, are arresting and imbued with personality.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025; December, 1969

(3) K-3 Books of Wonder series. Originally published in 1980 in two colors, A Little Alphabet was later reissued in two full-color editions--one a miniature version of the other. A new cover and title grace this current miniature edition, and instead of listing the items in each alphabetical picture on the endpapers, the words border each illustration, making the search easier for young readers.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander