5 More Sleeps 'til Christmas

PreS-Gr 3--Waiting for Christmas is not easy! Finding himself just five sleeps away from Christmas, a bespectacled white boy is becoming more and more excited as the holiday approaches. He, accompanied by his trusty blue dog and little sister, decorates, enjoys hot chocolate and candy canes, and bakes cookies in preparation for Santa's visit. Every night, his increasing anticipation causes the boy to struggle to fall asleep, and every night something magical happens once he does. The big day finally arrives, and once the gifts are all unwrapped, the boy restarts his countdown: 364 sleeps until next Christmas. Seemingly interminable days of eager excitement are familiar experiences for many families celebrating a big holiday. The vivid colors and expressive illustrations in this book place the reader inside the pages of the story, empathizing with the boy's impatience as the story progresses. Families will especially appreciate the pacing protagonist on the endpapers with his saggy socks and runaway reddish-brown hair. Festive decorations adorn each number from five to one as the story counts down to Christmas morning, enhancing the holiday sentiment. The short, rhyming text is enjoyable for both children and adults; balanced, four-line rhymes are used throughout the book, making the story ideally suited to be read aloud. VERDICT This light, silly book is a fun addition to the canon of commercial Christmas stories for elementary readers.--Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.