Hello, friends! It’s officially December, and we’re kicking off the holiday season by reviewing The 12 Days Of Christmas by Greg Pizzoli, a hilarious send-up of the classic Christmas carol and its inconvenient implications.

On the first day of Christmas, one elephant gives their best pal a partridge in a pear tree. What a lovely gift! The second day brings two turtledoves, then three French hens on the third. Hmm… that’s a lot of fowl for one household. Oh, and here comes four calling birds as well. The parent of the gifts’ recipient is beginning to wonder if they should invest in some bulk birdseed, not to mention when this barrage of birds is coming to an end. Surely there can’t be too many more… can there?

This one was festive, silly, and wonderful – a winning combination! Using the lyrics of the traditional carol, Pizzoli illustrates some marvelously colorful and riotously hectic scenes. The expressions on the parent elephant’s face are hysterical, going from happy to puzzled to annoyed to frantic to completely overwhelmed as the musical menagerie slowly takes over their home. True story: as a child, I always wondered who was giving these ridiculous gifts, and how one person was supposed to accommodate them all, and why were so many of them BIRDS?! So to me, this felt like an fantastic inside joke to adults (especially those who know the irritation of dealing with inconvenient gifts that your children LOVE) as well as a vibrant and energetic interpretation for little ones. Great length, and JJ was enthusiastically singing along all the way through. A fantastic twist on a classic that will bring some serious smiles to everyone’s face. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the author in exchange for an honest review.)