Zelda and Ivy One Christmas

A new book about the Fox sisters, otherwise known as Zelda and Ivy, is bound to bring them new fans. In this three-chapter follow-up to Zelda and Ivy and Zelda and Ivy and the Boy Next Door, the dynamic duo talks to their neighbor Mrs. Brownlie about what they want for Christmas in "Christmas Wishes." Zelda becomes the Amazing Zeldarina to foretell what they will get in "Christmas Fortunes," and finally, in "Christmas Gifts," both they and Mrs. Brownlie get exactly what they had hoped for. Laura Kvasnovsky's inimitable illustrations and deft touch with the story line capture perfectly the lives and hopes of two sisters who get along really well--on the whole. Zelda tends to order Ivy about, or not give her what she wants, but Ivy knows how to look after herself. Siblings on both sides of the age divide will appreciate both their innocent good humor and the author's way of exhibiting but not dwelling on the tensions between them. (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr