On a snowy Christmas Eve, Farmer Brown is hanging his stockings with care when a pitter-patter on the roof sends him scooting off to bed. Surely it's Santa! Nope. It's only Duck, who has climbed onto the chimney to await the big man's arrival. "Ho! Ho! Uh-oh." Duck catches sight of the sleigh in the distance and topples into the chimney, getting unequivocally stuck. Next up on the roof are the sheep, who try to "unstuck Duck," only to tumble in themselves. The sheep are followed by the cows, the pigs, and the remaining barnyard animals, who all become helplessly wedged until Santa arrives to lend a hand. In a poof of soot, everyone lands in the warm glow of Farmer Brown's living room and celebrates with festive cheer. The spare, repetitive text gets an extra boost of silliness in Lewin's watercolor illustrations, which show the animals dangling from a rooftop zip line and packed tightly in the chimney. Another giggle-inducing story from Cronin and Lewin.

PreS-Gr 2 It's Christmas on the farm and Farmer Brown thinks he hears Santa coming. Unfortunately for him, it's not Santa but that mischievous duck getting onto the roof and then proceeding to get stuck in the chimney. The rest of the animals try to help Duck get unstuck, only to end up stuck themselves. Who will help all the animals free themselves? Children and parents will enjoy the simple text and the comical illustrations. VERDICT A perfect Christmas read for any fans of Farmer Brown and his farm animals. Graciela Gallegos, Los Angeles Public Library