PreS-Gr 1 A bluebird, a lamb, the stars in the sky, and a few other wild and domesticated animals entreat a little fox to join them in bringing gifts to a new baby. Fox doesn't seem to listen, preferring to dance with snowflakes and romp in the stream, but when he shows up at the barn, his playfulness is a gift in itself. The full-spread illustrations portray a winsome young fox frolicking against a snowy scene glowing with soft, rich colors. The text, though simple enough for preschoolers, doesn't bring anything new to the Christmas story; the moral isn't expressed in a way that is particularly resonant or forceful. That there was most likely no snow in Bethlehem on that first Christmas night might not be a problem, since this baby isn't ever named as baby Jesuseven though he is in a manger surrounded by animals. VERDICT A visually appealing but forgettable story. Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

McGrory (Quick, Slow, Mango!) transplants the Nativity story to a snowy woodland setting, where a puppylike fox ignores the urgings of his fellow animals as they prepare for the baby-s arrival. -Come!- says a brown cow, peering back at the fox as it trudges toward a distant barn. -A baby is coming. There-s a place to make warm with sweet-smelling hay.- Instead, the fox romps in the woods, eventually coming to believe that he has nothing to share with the child. -Just come,- urges the donkey. -It is enough.- It-s a distinctly allegorical version of the story-Mary and Joseph are unseen, and fox-s recalcitrance recalls Aesop-s -The Ant and the Grasshopper.- Yet McGrory-s soft, gestural artwork, washed with pale color and infused with lemony light, celebrate the fox-s play, and his joyful spirit is a gift both to the waiting child and to readers. Ages 3-7. Agent: Victoria Wells Arms, Wells Arms Literary. (Oct.)