School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-When the animals in the barn boast about the important roles their ancestors played during the first Christmas, Pippin the pig is so upset to learn that her ancestors didn't give a gift that she runs off into the snow. Miraculously (and a bit jarringly), she meets a homeless mother and her baby and leads them to the stable, where she convinces the other animals to help them. The point about the best gift being kindness and love may be lost on small children, who will like this book for the interplay among the animals and for the sweet portrayal of the endearing Pippin. The atmospheric watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are full of child appeal, with Pippin (who looks like a cross between Wilbur and Olivia) standing out pinkly against the dark barn and snowy fields.-E. M. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A perky pink piglet starts the barnyard buzzing when she asks "What's Christmas?" in this clever and gentle-hearted picture book. Pippin's question gets the goat of Noddy the grumpy donkey, whose ancestors carried Mary to Bethlehem. A haughty game of can-you-top-that gets all the farm animals going, each taking credit for a role in the first Christmas and dismissing pigs altogether. But it's not until Pippin tries to run away that she finds the joyous meaning of the holiday. Zimmerman's watercolors pleasingly mix realism and adorability (in the case of Pippin's smile). Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved