CHRISTMAS

A spiritual time. A time for family warmth and closeness. A time for reflection, sharing, and celebration.

Joy to the World A Family Christmas Treasury, compiled by Ann Keay Beneduce, with sumptuous and inspiring artwork by the incomparable Gennady Spirin, evokes all the moods of this important and widely celebrated holiday.

Organized around the familiar symbols of Christmas -- the star, the manger, the gift givers, and the tree -- and with a final section focusing on Christmas all around the world, there is something here for every member of the family. Each section begins with a fascinating introduction about the symbol itself, followed by biblical passages, carols, poems, stories, and brief plays, by authors as varied as Beatrix Potter, Langston Hughes, Christina Rossetti, Clement C. Moore, and Truman Capote. The selections -- some familiar, some less well known -- touch on both the spiritual and the secular aspects of Christmas, all woven together with Gennady Spirin's delicate borders and resplendent illustrations. Here is a treasury that will be savored year after year, a rich collection to be shared with little ones, read on its own by older readers, and placed on the piano while everyone gathers to sing "The First Noël," "Silent Night," and "Joy to the World."