Christmas with Vera by Marjolein Bastin Ages 5-9 32 pages NorthSouth September 2011 Hardcover     Vera and her animal friends are getting ready for Christmas by gathering bits of nature. Snowberries are transformed into gold and red ornaments that hang from the tree. Fritzy uses Vera’s extra apples to make a display of stars, and a pine wreath is sent by blackbird post to Vera’s friend in the city. A snowfall inspires Vera and Dolly to bake marzipan snowballs; views from the sky give them an idea for decorating the curtainless window at Blue Cottage. The homemade Christmas crackers are made before company arrives. But to complete the table setting, fresh holly needs to be gathered—an event that will surely be one of Fritzy’s most unforgettable moments of the season. Readers may already have seen Vera and her friends on Hallmark greeting cards, but the introduction to this book provides a small write-up about each character. Decorative borders surround the text and illustrations on each page. The instructions, patterns and recipes included in the book show children how to have an affordable and simple country Christmas just like Vera.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2011 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)