THE CHRISTMAS WE MOVED TO THE BARN

An intriguing vignette preceding the title page displays Taffy MacDonald's much-forwarded letter from a realtor telling her that the house she rents has been sold and she must be out by December 24. This news, sent on November 12, arrives on Christmas Eve—a bad time to move, but Taffy is undaunted; the rest of the book requires no words for her two children and their dozen animals to know exactly what she has in mind (given the book's title, it's not that much of secret). To scenes of the family's exodus through the snow to an abandoned barn, Day brings the same warmth and humor as is found in the Carl books (Carl's Birthday, 1995, etc.). Taffy's unquenchable spirit and can-do attitude engage everyone as she leads the relocation parade, a mop-wielding drum majorette. Two horses pull the grand piano, skis beneath, candelabra atop; two dogs transport a sleigh-style bed; the pot-bellied stove slides behind one strong husky dog; the girls push and pull a couple of racks of clothes. This is no harsh treatment of homelessness; the whimsical touches include a crescent moon tugged along by two pigs, and a life-size lawn ornament of Santa and the reindeers scooting past, seeming to wave at readers. (Picture book. 3-7)