Ask a Bookseller: 'The Twelve Hours of Christmas'

Looking for a new read-aloud Christmas book? Amber Collins of Soul Book Nook in Waterloo, Iowa recommends “The Twelve Hours of Christmas,” written by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Bea Jackson. It’s a modern take on the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas” song, but eight maids a-milking become eight cups of cocoa in this story of a family coming together on Christmas Day. The words and illustrations walk us through the day of Christmas: three French toasts for breakfast, parents cooking, grandparents arriving, and cousins playing in the snow. Hidden among the presents around the tree is a new kitten, who gets lost amid the busy day! The little girl at the center of the story looks for the lost kitten, adding mystery and focus to the read-aloud repetition. Of course, everyone is together in the end.