ONE FOGGY CHRISTMAS EVE

A bright and shiny new Christmas book.

It isn’t easy to create a Yuletide tale that stands out on the crowded holiday shelf, but Wilson has done just that by riffing on lyrics from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Her illustrations are detailed and expressive, like a mashup of Marla Frazee and Vera Brosgol, with a dash of Barbara McClintock for good measure. They show the titular fog rolling in as a brown-skinned parent and a light-skinned child, who narrates, walk home, where another parent, tan-skinned, awaits. The child has made a gift for Nana and Papa, with whom the family always spends Christmas Eve. This year, however, “The weather is awful, and my parents say we can’t go.” The child’s red hat evokes Little Red Riding Hood; the family dog, Sammy, is akin to a friendly wolf. Their combined depictions foreshadow a trek to Nana and Papa’s house. With a flashlight on her head, Sammy heads out to “light the way,” followed by the child, who sees monstrous visions in the fog and runs home in fear. Later, the whole family heads out, covered in Christmas lights, and fantastic, luminescent reindeer appear. Though the grandparents’ gift is lost en route, the youngster has a story to tell upon the family’s arrival—the best gift of all. Loaded with adventure and brimming with love and joy, this is a holiday tale to be savored.

Read it out loud with glee.