Starred Review There's fanciful magic in Watson's version, which features almost photo-realistic paintings of Santa and his wild, mechanical sleigh: one of the most amusing spreads shows the sleigh's cockpit dashboard, complete with an Elf Com button and a hot-beverage dispenser. A team of diverse elves (or gnomes?) helps with the work, from dusting the chimney soot from Santa to overseeing present distribution with a tiny megaphone. Full of wonder, whimsy, and cheer, this easily earns a place on the crowded holiday shelves.

Moore's chestnut is given fresh-roasted flavor via Jaramillo's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Peter Pan) inventive framework. In a note to the reader, Jaramillo claims to have discovered a collection of photos from 1901. That "antique" family album—shown here in grainy, glowingly lit sepia—just happens to depict the same series of events found in Moore's famous verse and even captures St. Nick in the flesh. Jaramillo's happy "hoax"—an intriguing blend of photography and computer effects— may well create some new believers in Christmas magic. All ages. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Oct.)

Best known for her calendars, greeting cards and other gift items, Engelbreit overwhelms Moore's poem, using it as captions for her Christmas art. Double-page spreads are bordered by two frames, colorful fairies show up everywhere, and readers may have difficulty finding Santa Claus on the visually cluttered pages. Strictly for Engelbreit collectors.

Engelbreit ( Over the River and through the Woods ,1994) has legions of devoted adult fans who will adore sharing this oversized, traditional treatment of the beloved Christmas poem. The illustrations incorporate the artist's signature icons such as black-and-white checked borders, flowered armchairs, and cozy, snowbound cottages, along with Engelbreit's favorite Scotty dog. Her charismatic Santa is chubby and cheerful in his red plaid suit and hiking boots; his cute, pointy-eared elves of varying sizes and costumes (though all unfortunately seem to be male) assist Santa at every step and are also shown marching toward the sleigh on the endpapers. The entire story is told in double-page spreads with the text blocks set off in ivory rectangles, and each spread is full of toys and treats and tiny details of the Christmas season in a busy household. The dramatic "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" finale shows the words in curly white writing flowing across a midnight blue sky, with Santa and the reindeer in mid-flight silhouetted against a full moon. Engelbreit fans will find this a delectable holiday treat. (Picture book. 3-6)

K-Gr 2-The full text of the familiar poem is illustrated in Engelbreit's crisply decorated style. A large trim size allows each highly embellished spread to hold a plethora of detail. From the opening stanza's view of the non-stirring mouse's hole (a cracked teacup is his bed, a potholder his doormat, and a paintbrush is his broom) and throughout the verses, the artist adds lots of elves and ornamentation. Santa is not pictured as "dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot"; he's wearing a checked coat with fur trim and what appear to be leather bowling shoes. He does twinkle a lot, though, and that may be enough for some readers.-S. P. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.