(4) K-3 Illustrated by Erick Ingraham. Henry, the Siamese cat known for his adventures in Hot-Air Henry, joins his family to participate in an outdoor Christmas pageant. When the group--including manger animals--goes caroling, the lamb runs away. Henry follows and leads the lost sheep safely back to the church. The story, in spite of the realistic, luminous art, swings awkwardly between fantasy and reality.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Raul Colon. Matthew is a young shepherd who chases an errant lamb to a stable dug in a hillside. There he finds a young couple and a very special baby. The familiar Nativity story is lyrical and reverent in tone, but Colón's scratchboard illustrations are uneven: alternately warm and luminous and stiff and iconic. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Erick Ingraham. Henry the high-stepping feline returns in a fifth adventure. At the annual country fair, Henry hopes for a blue ribbon, but the other competitors are larger and more impressive. After rescuing a lost toddler, however, Henry is a hero and wins a special ribbon. Ingraham's illustrations make Henry's extraordinary accomplishments believable, and despite the contrived situations, his charm seems ageless.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns