The 13th Day of Christmas

Side-splitting silliness ensues as Rex riffs on “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in this rollicking holiday read. The story begins simply, with the protagonist’s true love gifting a partridge in a pear tree. The next day, though, three more birds, including a second partridge and pear tree, arrive—with more to follow. “You’ve probably heard the song they wrote about me,” the speaker wryly states before a spread shows the worried-looking, pale-skinned figure surrounded by a crowd of cows, dancers, milkmaids, and pipers. When the group follows the protagonist on a family visit (“You don’t all have to come! I’m just visiting my mom!”), the subject discovers that what seems like an embarrassment of burdensome gifts could be a boon. And when the ensemble inadvertently starts a parade, the raucous event inspires joviality and selfless actions that reverberate throughout the protagonist’s community, echoing the original song’s rhythms as further hijinks unfold. Carefully sketched, energetic visuals alternate between comics-style panels and full-bleed spreads of the chaos. After the unwitting recipient embraces the troublesome presents’ potential to generate further generosity, a final plot twist further amps up the comedy, resulting in a fresh, truly uproarious Christmas yarn. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)