This delightful rendition of the holiday song we know, love, and struggle to sing because of the oh-so-many gifts their true love gave to them, puts a creative spin on the classic of old. Here, the "true love" does indeed receive the wide range of gifts sung many times over, but with a twist. You see, the receiver is a young elephant, the giver another young elephant, but it's all overseen by an adult pachyderm that is getting, shall we say, a little stressed out over the number of gifts flowing into their living room? Yeah, that would be putting it lightly. Good thing these two know the joy that sharing can bring because honestly, I'm not certain a peck of pears would have saved the day from dismay in many households.

A wonderful way to countdown the days to the holiday or simply be reminded that one doesn't need the whole store gifted to them to enjoy the holiday, merely the gift giver's presence.


**copy received for review ( )

The illustrations tell a DIFFERENT story ( )

Picture-book author/artist Greg Pizzoli, creator of such amusing tales as The Watermelon Seed and Number One Sam, turns his attention to the classic holiday carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, in this engaging new seasonal title. As one little elephant presents another with the twelve traditional gifts mentioned in the song, an older elephant - mother, perhaps? - is pictured becoming more and more irate. What will they do with all these gifts?!?

As is customary with picture-book presentations of The Twelve Days of Christmas, Pizzoli adopts the text of the song as the text of his book, expanding upon its "story" in his accompanying artwork. His illustrations are colorful and creative, with some quirky choices - mice take the role of the "maids-a-milking" - that will provide some chuckles to the reader/listener. Recommended to anyone looking for new picture-books featuring traditional carols, especially if they're looking for more humorous presentations. ( )