The Christmas Book Flood
by Emily Kilgore; illus. by Kitty Moss
Primary    Farrar    40 pp.    g
11/22    978-0-374-38899-7    $18.99
e-book ed.  978-0-374-39163-8    $10.99

Kilgore introduces readers to a popular Icelandic tradition, where people give one another books on Christmas Eve and then read all night long. Her free-verse text sets the mood, a mix of awe and excitement as it describes the build-up to December 24 (“Could it be? That one there? Tucked just out of sight? / Yes, that magical book to bring loved ones joy”). The art complements the text, following one little girl’s search for the perfect books. Moss’s gorgeous full-bleed collage illustrations appropriately feature printed paper, and their rich hues perfectly capture the beauty of the northern lights. An author’s note explains more about the Christmas Book Flood tradition.

From the November/December 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.