DePaola offers a montage of Christmas memories from his earliest days as a toddler in a high chair, captured in home movies, right up to his current celebrations in his home in New Hampshire. He includes memories of family parties in his childhood home on Fairmount Avenue, helping out in a candy shop and a special Christmas when he received a full complement of art supplies to nurture his budding talent. Each stage of his life is captured with glimpses of his Christmas celebrations: singing in high school concerts, shopping as an art student in New York City and preparing for the holiday as a young novice at a Benedictine monastery in Vermont. Other chapters describe his time as a grad student in San Francisco, a visit to Santa Fe and a Christmas in New York as an adult. Full-page illustrations of holiday subjects in dePaola's distinctive style alternate with spot illustrations of Christmas scenes, with a polka-dot border accenting the pages. While the stories from his childhood will interest younger readers, most of the volume will be of more interest to dePaola's adult fans and those doing author studies. (Nonfiction. 10-adult)

DePaola (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">26 Fairmount Avenue) waxes nostalgic in slightly new territory here—a series of autobiographical vignettes of Christmases past aimed at an audience beyond children. From his earliest childhood memories of his family's faux fireplace purchased "so Santa could visit," to presents at age 11 that validated his aspirations to be an artist, to holidays as an adult spent with fellow artists and friends in San Francisco and Santa Fe, this volume chronicles its creator's lifelong fondness for celebrating December 25th. DePaola alternates his signature gouache style with mixed-media and collage pieces, giving the work a pleasant "scrapbook" effect. All ages. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

While dePaola's adult fanciers are probably the largest audience for this collection of the artist's reminiscences, young creative types might also see themselves in these stories of an artist growing up. DePaola recollects fifteen Christmases, from when he was three in Connecticut to a recent celebration in his New Hampshire farmhouse. The illustrations employ a variety of techniques and media.

Gr 3 Up-The beloved children's author/illustrator shares Christmas reminiscences, beginning in 1937, when he was three, and continuing through his adult years. Youngsters familiar with dePaola's autobiographical books, such as 26 Fairmount Avenue (Putnam, 1999), will recognize some of the family members and settings in the childhood anecdotes. However, the most compelling narratives are the memories of the author's adult years as a monk in a Vermont priory, a Brooklyn art student, a young man in San Francisco, and a visitor in Santa Fe. Their child appeal is limited, but adults will enjoy these glimpses into the personal life of a creative member of the children's literature community. The border decorations and occasional paintings capture the color and nostalgia of Christmas past and present.-Virginia Walter, University of California, Los Angeles Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

With many Christmas picture books to his credit, dePaola now regales readers with 15 personal tales of Christmases past. The first chapters vividly recall family and community celebrations of the holidays, followed by memories of Christmas as a high-school and college student and as a novice at a Vermont priory. The last three selections describe Christmases as an adult celebrated in San Francisco, New York City, and New Hampshire. Brightening the pages are illustrations in varied styles and media, from an intriguing portrait of dePaola's Italian grandmother to decorative paper collages to iconic paintings of great stillness and beauty. The jacket flap calls this dePaola's first book for all ages, and, in truth, it probably will appeal to adults as much as children. Written with dialogue and humor as well as reflection, the episodic stories may interest children who enjoyed dePaola's 26 Fairmont Avenue series. Teachers and librarians on the lookout for books of memoirs will want to make a note of this one.