As winter arrives and Christmas draws near, a young farm girl is told by her parents that this year they intend to have a simple holiday, with homemade presents and decorations, and more emphasis on giving than on receiving. At first the girl isn't sure how she feels about this, but as she begins to share her homemade cookies—with residents of the nearby senior living center, with the vet who cares for the farm animals—the girl begins to see that a simple Christmas on the farm isn't so bad, especially when she can invite so many people to Christmas dinner in the barn...

Having enjoyed author Phyllis Alsdurf's Thanksgiving in the Woods, the first of what has now become the Countryside Holidays series, I have been meaning to pick up subsequent titles, and this season I finally tracked down the second installment, A Simple Christmas on the Farm. This one has a different illustrator than the first—English artist Lisa Hunt, instead of Norwegian illustrator Jenny Løvlie—and while the visuals here are still quite cute, somehow I felt they didn't quite fit the theme of the story. I really appreciated the idea of a less commercial, less gift-driven Christmas to be found in Alsdurf's narrative. I still recall with fondness the childhood Christmas in which my family exchanged letters instead of presents, a decision driven by financial necessity, but resulting in something lovely. So it is that I was prepared to wholeheartedly embrace this story, both for philosophical and religious reasons—no, Christmas is not about presents—and for personal ones. But somehow the visuals here, while depicting the actual events described in the text, made me think that this wasn't so much a real farming family, having a truly simple Christmas, but a more affluent "lifestyle" farming family, capable of putting on a holiday with all the trimmings, even if done in a "rustic" style.

Despite this criticism, I did still enjoy the book, appreciating the overall theme, and the depiction of a happy biracial family in the artwork. I also liked the inclusion of some religious observances in the story, as the family goes to church service as part of their holiday celebrations. This was handled in a low-key, matter-of-fact way, and reflects the experiences of millions of American children, so I was somewhat appalled (although not especially surprised) to read an online review which criticized this aspect of the book as "non-inclusive." Apparently Christians celebrating the reason the holiday of Christmas exists at all is exclusionary. Leaving that bit of baffling delusion aside, even with the foregoing critique of the artwork, I would still recommend this one to those seeking Christmas picture books which emphasize the non-commercial aspects of the holiday. ( )

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )