If Animals Celebrated Christmas (If Animals Kissed Good Night)

by Ann Whitford Paul (Author) David Walker (Illustrator)

Don't miss the other books in this adorable series: If Animals Kissed Good Night, If Animals Said I Love You, If Animals Went to School, and If Animals Gave Thanks!

What if animals did what YOU do?

This charming story describes how animals might celebrate the holidays! If animals celebrated Christmas...how would they do it? Tortoise would hiss a holiday wish, Crane would croon joyful carols, and Mama and Papa Buffalo would kiss beneath the mistletoe. Across the animal kingdom, every creature would deck the halls for this magical season.

Select format:
Hardcover
$16.99

Find books about:

More books in the series - See All

Kirkus

Starred Review
A sweet, cozy book to share with young children as Christmas approaches.

Publishers Weekly

In the third entry in their If Animals series, Paul and Walker ponder how animal families might prepare for Christmas. If animals were to celebrate the holiday, "Crabs would scamper from the deep, dark sea, / and build a seashell Christmas tree" while, under a starry sky, "Papa and Mama Buffalo/ would grunt greetings and kiss beneath mistletoe." Walker illustrates in a cozy, smudgy art style that lovingly depicts the animal babies and parents in a range of wilderness settings. If Koala celebrated Christmas, she would hang her stocking from a tree and, after cuddling with her Mama and Papa, "she'd fall asleep in her high-branch bed/ with visions of reindeer flying through her head--/ a team of them!--/ fast on their way." A satisfying final spread shows a polar bear Santa with a sleigh full of toys. Ages 2-6. (Sept.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

ALA/Booklist

The rhymes and action words throughout provide extra pep for this already-spirited tale. 

Review quotes

Beyond cute, without sliding into saccharine. . .The illustrations, with washes of color and starry skies, are done on a flat plane that brings the action close. The rhymes and action words throughout provide extra pep for this already-spirited tale. —Booklist
Ann Whitford Paul
Ann Whitford Paul and David Walker collaborate on the If Animals series, including If Animals Kissed Good Night, which School Library Journal calls "charming"; If Animals Went to School; and If Animals Celebrated Christmas. Ann lives in Los Angeles, California. David lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780374309015
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Publication date
September 11, 2018
Series
If Animals Kissed Good Night
BISAC categories
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
JUV017010 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Christmas & Advent
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Stories in rhyme
Parent and child
Christmas stories
Animal behavior
Habits and behavior
Christmas

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!