The twelve birdies of Christmas

The classic "Twelve Days of Christmas" song (appended here) mentions many birds, but this original board book's humorous spin devotes every day to them. Instead of a "partridge in a pear tree," a red-spotted green "birdie in a Santa Claus beard" is the first zany gift. Each subsequent day the corresponding numeral and matching number of birds are pictured for youngsters to count. Mainly white backgrounds keep the focus on the avian antics (the "4 calling birdies" are talking on cellphones; the "8 birdies a-milking" are drinking milk); the birds themselves are very expressive and a colorful collection of shapes and sizes. Cynthia K. Ritter November/December 2020 p.40(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.