POCKET'S CHRISTMAS WISH
by Ann Bonwill & illustrated by Russell Julian
When his curiosity is piqued by the sight of a snow angel, a little rabbit traipses through the snowy countryside in search of the meaning of Christmas. Pocket sees "the love of family" in his fellow rabbits' smiles, hears "the joy of song" in a bird's chirps and so forth; all these phrases sound lovely but cannot possibly illuminate the ignorant rabbit. Finally, the cold, wet rabbit plods up to a cabin inside of which a family has gathered around a tree—and outside of which a baby wood mouse shivers. Pocket shares the carrot the family has just given him and suddenly understands the meaning of Christmas. Just how Pocket even knows Christmas exists never comes clear; this book just enjoys its assumptions without interrogating their logic. The soft-focus illustrations are as syrupy as the self-congratulatory text. (Picture book. 3-6)