The Christmas Wish (Wish Series)($49.99Value)

Description

This New York Times bestselling Nordic tale in the tradition of The Snowman, The Polar Express, and the many books of Jan Brett will have readers of all ages believing in the magic of Christmas. This is one to pull out every year and savor! Long ago, a brave little girl named Anja wanted to be one of Santa's elves. So she leaves a note for her family and helps her elderly neighbor prepare for the holiday, then she straps on her skis, and heads out into the snowy landscape. From a red bird to a polar bear to a reindeer, a menagerie of winter animals help Anja make her way to Santa. A generous trim-size, matte cover, extraordinary photographs, and foiled title make this a special book for the holiday season. And don't miss the other "Wish" books: The Reindeer Wish The Tiny Wish The Brave Little Puppy  The Puppy's Wish -- coming soon! PreS-Gr 1-Anja longs to be one of Santa's elves. Dressed in full Nordic regalia complete with red gnomic hat, she certainly looks the part. A thoughtful and helpful child, she acts the part as well. When she skis off in her quest to find Santa, a bird, horse, musk ox, polar bear, and reindeer show her the way. The full-page photographs look like they could be movie stills, so sharp and seamless are the figures that Anja and the animals cut against the winter landscape of Northern lights, glaciers, and snowy pine trees. While the scenes of Anja offering an apple to the reindeer or curled up next to the sleeping polar bear are whimsical and look unaltered, other images are obviously manipulated. Further, the story reads as if it were written around the pictures, rather than the other way around. Nonetheless, the striking winter visuals and the adorable heroine carry the day.-Joanna Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library α(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "A captivating Christmas story with a magic all its own.” --Starred, Kirkus Reviews "…rosy-cheeked Anja looks like she’s stepped out of a fairy tale, and Breiehagen’s delicious (and, necessarily, digitally altered) photographs of her riding on the back of a polar bear and meeting Santa amid the snowy pines of the North Pole create the sense that magic is very real." -- Starred, Publishers Weekly "[The Christmas Wish] points to both the timelessness and the otherworldliness of a child's Christmastime wonder." --The Horn Book "…this cozy Nordic tale filled with extraordinary photographs will have readers of all ages believing in the magic of Christmas. This is one to pull out every year and savor." -- The Children's Book Review "Dreams have never been so photogenic." -- USA Today From the Hardcover edition. LORI EVERT is the author of  The New York Times  bestseller  The Christmas Wish ,  The Tiny Wish ,  The Reindeer Wish  and  The Brave Puppy . She and her family created The Wish books together. They split their time between Minnesota and Norway. PER BREIEHAGEN is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed photographer from Norway. His credits include National Geographic , Audubon , and The New York Times Magazine . He created the images for The Wish Books with his daughter, Anja, and wife, Lori Evert. From the Hardcover edition.