DRAGON'S MERRY CHRISTMAS

An appealing blue creature, first introduced in 1990, displays his independent thinking and good humor in four episodes appropriate to the season. Dragon decides to decorate his tree where he finds it growing, without cutting it; he's proud of the candy wreath he makes, but it's too tasty to last long; he gives away the presents he's bought for himself to needier animals. Not exceptional, but genuinely warmhearted; the art, drawn with assurance and verve, is vibrantly colored. (Easy reader. 4-8)