A Very Mercy Christmas [Mercy Watson]
by Kate DiCamillo; illus. by Chris Van Dusen
Primary    Candlewick    32 pp.    g
9/22    978-1-5362-1360-7    $18.99

In this Mercy Watson picture-book spinoff, young Stella Endicott is feeling the Christmas spirit. She asks her neighbors to go caroling, but all the humans are either too busy or not interested. Eugenia Lincoln even closes the door in her face. So it’s just Stella, pig Mercy Watson, cat General Washington, and horse Maybelline who raise their voices in song. “It was very loud, and very joyful, and not very musical.” When the other residents hear them, they all join in—even Eugenia Lincoln. As usual, Van Dusen’s humorous, sharply characterized illustrations pair well with DiCamillo’s mix of down-to-earth language and transporting lyricism. “They stood together, and above their heads, above Deckawoo Drive, above the tired and hopeful earth, the stars were shining, shining, shining down.”

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