THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Spirin’s immediately recognizable artistic style stands out in another arresting interpretation of a traditional text (Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 2009, etc.). His highly detailed watercolor-and–colored-pencil illustrations present in each opening an oval painting against a text page bordered in garlands of pears and leaves. His signature touches of gold are seen in the pears and in details of the costumes of the song characters, as well as in the text as the top of the pages defining the particular numerical day of Christmas. Succeeding illustrations become more and more crowded with all the added characters from the song, but each tiny animal as well as all the maids, ladies, lords, pipers and drummers can still be counted. The final pages provide the musical score and a note about the origins of the song. Lovely. (Picture book. 4-7)