The Christmas Wish

PreS-Gr 1—Anja longs to be one of Santa's elves. Dressed in full Nordic regalia complete with red gnomic hat, she certainly looks the part. A thoughtful and helpful child, she acts the part as well. When she skis off in her quest to find Santa, a bird, horse, musk ox, polar bear, and reindeer show her the way. The full-page photographs look like they could be movie stills, so sharp and seamless are the figures that Anja and the animals cut against the winter landscape of Northern lights, glaciers, and snowy pine trees. While the scenes of Anja offering an apple to the reindeer or curled up next to the sleeping polar bear are whimsical and look unaltered, other images are obviously manipulated. Further, the story reads as if it were written around the pictures, rather than the other way around. Nonetheless, the striking winter visuals and the adorable heroine carry the day.—Joanna Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library