Max's Christmas

We absolutely love the Max & Ruby books. Max's Christmas was one of last year's gifts to my toddler munchkins. They love it and they just can't get enough of Max and his bossy-but-loving sister, Ruby. Max's Christmas takes Max through the Christmas Eve bedtime preparations, with Ruby helping him brush his teeth and put on pajamas. "Why?" asks Max. "Because," says Ruby. Max wants to know why he can't stay up to see Santa and, after Ruby puts him to bed, he decides to take his blanket downstairs and just see for himself. Max falls asleep, Santa comes down the chimney (Santa is a bunny, of course), and Max wakes up. Santa tells Max to go back to sleep. Max asks, "Why?" Santa replies, "Because!"Kids love this book because they identify so completely with Max, even kids who don't have bossy big sisters. Max's adventures mirror those of all little children who are trying to figure out their often confusing world. ... A full Max & Ruby library is one of the best ongoing gifts for pre-school children.

Rosemary Wells' Max and Ruby books are the best books for small children of all time, and Max's Christmas is the best of the best. The focus of the book is Max asking his older sister Ruby a thousand questions about Santa Claus that she can not answer (until, an exasperated Ruby finally screams BECAUSE! and refuses to answer any more questions). If you've dealt with any 2 to 4 year old at Christmas time, this will seem so real you won't be able to keep a straight face. It's just a pure delight.The illustrations are more detailed, and the colors more interesting than in the Max board books. It's done in a way that the pictures all look bathed in candlelight, which creates a perfect atmosphere for the book. That's one of the things that makes this book even better than the other books in the series.The recommendations for this book say it is for toddlers to pre-school children, but my kids continued to love it and want to hear it every year until they were about eight. My son loved it so much that I have him on tape reciting it by heart at age three. If you have little ones to read to at Christmas, this is a must-have!

It's Christmas, and Ruby is trying to get her little brother Max ready for bed, and answer his questions about Santa. See what happens when Max has to see for himself. Fun book, because most of Max's dialog is made up of the questions toddler's ask 1,000 times a day, especially: "Why?"!