Gr. 4-6, with interest for older readers. This unusual book shows life on a Virginia plantation in 1859. Beginning after the harvest is in, the narrative describes the preparations for the Christmas season and the celebrations that follow. The differences in resources, lifestyles, and traditions between the plantation owner's family and the slaves provides a continuous contrast. Although the slaves' hardships are evident, they are not sensationalized, and the slaves' relationships with Massa and Missus in the big house are drawn with more subtlety than in many other children's books on the period. The final scenes use ironic foreshadowing: the master tells his young daughter that she'll be old enough to have her own slave in 1865, and in the quarters, a mother tells her son not to speak of running away, because she has heard rumors of freedom coming. Dramatic, full-color illustrations throughout the book offer windows on the period, showing individualized portraits of the characters at work, at rest, and at play. Some may find this a romanticized picture of slavery, but appended notes provide background information and show the authors' research on the period. ~--Carolyn Phelan

On a Virginia plantation in 1859, the enslaved families work hard to get both the Big House and their own Quarters ready for Christmas. "The McKissacks carefully and convincingly delineate the discrepancies between the two milieus, and the contrast is startling and stirring," wrote PW in a starred review. "Thompson's remarkably realistic, emotion-charged paintings masterfully tie together the book's diverse contents." Ages 8-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved