We Wish You a Merry Christmas

by Julianna Swaney

Overview

This beautiful Christmas picture book celebrating the magic of the holiday season is the perfect gift!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year . . .

We unbox our decorations, unwrap ornaments and hang them. . . .

We'll make this a shining Christmas, and a twinkly new year.

We dash home to bake our cookies then top them with yummy frosting,

Let's share some with all our neighbors and a song while we're here!

Inspired by the beloved song "We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” this heartwarming story of a family celebrating treasured holiday traditions will bring good cheer to readers of all ages.

Read We Wish You a Merry Christmas if you're looking for:

-a picture book to read aloud again and again

-magical art, with scenes that feel straight out of a holiday movie!

-a brand-new original story using the melody of a perennially popular song

-the perfect stocking stuffer for children ages 3 and up

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781547614912
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	715,984
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.35(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 5 Years

About the Author

Julianna Swaney grew up in Michigan, where she has many nice memories of magical, snowy Christmases. She has illustrated numerous books for children, including We Are the Gardeners, The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be, She Caught the Light, I Will Always Be Your Bunny, and numerous others. Julianna now lives in Oregon where she spends her time painting, gardening, and daydreaming. Her favorite Christmas carol is "The Holly and the Ivy."

www.juliannaswaney.com

Editorial Reviews

07/26/2024

PreS-Gr 1—This homage to the labor of holiday magic-makers depicts a family's preparation for Christmas. They pick and decorate a tree, make cookies, host their loved ones, and more. Text is inspired by the song "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Swaney's soft digital and pencil illustrations show a multigenerational and multiracial family celebrating the holiday with traditions such as Christmas crackers and stockings. The family's two pet dogs lend a gentle humor to the story as they join in the festivities. VERDICT While the story is nothing new, the charming illustrations make this a worthy addition to a holiday collection.—Nora Clancy

School Library Journal

2024-06-15
A family prepares for Christmas to the tune of the titular carol.

This white-presenting family lives in a tidy row house that’s within a short drive of a Christmas tree lot. They buy their tree, bring it home, decorate it, stop by the Christmas market, make cookies, go caroling in the neighborhood, and finally welcome extended family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The unremarkable (and uncredited) rhyming text seems meant to be sung rather than read, but uneven scansion and the absence of a refrain may have readers struggling to keep tune. Exactly where do the emphases land in “We unbox our decorations, / Unwrap ornaments and hang them…”? Swaney’s matte, muted illustrations have a mildly folk-art vibe, with details splayed out on the spreads, but they do little to enliven the experience. The family seems to be made up of a mom, a dad, two kids, and two dogs, all cheerily going through their holiday motions; they’re so unmemorable as characters that little listeners may have difficulty finding them among the busier tableaux, which reveal a racially diverse community all united in the celebration of Christmas. The extended family includes a white grandparent, three brown-skinned cousins, and two aunts (one white, one brown-skinned).

Lacking even figgy pudding, this outing underwhelms.(Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews