Samantha Sweeney's favorite thing about writing and editing children's books is marveling at how much can be said in so few words. She lives in London in a tall house with a lot of stairs and comes up with some of her best ideas while she's on her way to the kitchen to make strong cups of tea. Her other great passion is soccer, and she is a dedicated supporter of a team that doesn't win very often.Sebastien Braun was born in Strasbourg, France. As a child he spent countless hours drawing, but in high school there were no art classes, so he filled his homework with doodles and portraits of his teachers. Aside from creating pictures, Seb's favorite pastimes are making toys from wood, playing with his children, and climbing the Cotswold hills on his vintage road bike.

Toddler-PreS–Cardinals, bunnies, cows, and many other parent/child animal pairs and groups settle down for a long winter’s nap. Rhyming couplets tell the story of each animal pair or group sleeping together and getting ready for the excitement that Christmas Eve brings to the world. There is a touch-and-feel component on every spread that will make young readers feel as though they are in the barn right next to these animals. The happiness of Christmas is felt through the first beautiful snow of the season or the shimmering stars in the night sky. However, this book shows that even the animal community knows that the true meaning of Christmas is the love shared between family. Beautiful illustrations bring the animals to life and end the story with a feeling of community as they wait in their homes, alongside the snowman and a big Christmas tree. This is not a traditional board book to utilize with babies, as it is a more in-depth story, but it is a lovely story for the toddler/preschool age who can also enjoy the touch-and-feel aspects. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase in a holiday board book collection. --School Library Journal