Frances Tyrrell

The classic Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is given the woodland treatment in this lovely holiday picture book from Canadian illustrator Frances Tyrrell. An ursine couple are the focus here, as a bear lady receives the twelve traditional gifts from her suitor, although in this case, the gifts in question are all represented by Canadian animals. The text of the carol remains the same, but what is depicted has a North American flavor, with loons representing the four calling birds, river otters the five golden rings (the otters are depicted as curled up into rings), raccoons as the eight maids-a-milking, foxes as the nine ladies dancing, moose as the ten lords-a-leaping, squirrels as the eleven pipers piping, and beavers as the twelve drummers drumming. The book concludes with a wedding feast between the ursine couple (depicted only in the artwork) and a celebration on ice...

Having greatly enjoyed the subsequent Woodland Nutcracker, which Frances Tyrrell illustrated for her mother, author Avril Tyrrell, and which presented an ursine retelling of the Christmas fairy-tale of The Nutcracker, I was eager to track down Woodland Christmas (sometimes sub-titled in later editions as "Twelve Days of Christmas in the North Woods"). Not only am I an admirer of the artist, but I also have an interest in picture book presentations of Christmas carols and songs—an annual pet project of mine. Unsurprisingly, I found this a charming read, appreciating both the text (of course!) and the way in which it was interpreted in the artwork. This particular carol has been presented in picture book form many times, by many talented artists, so the competition is fierce. My favorite versions will undoubtedly always be the Laurel Long and Jane Ray editions, but this one has undoubted appeal, especially as it does something a little different from the rest, given the woodland animal representation here. Recommended to fellow fans of the artist, and to picture book readers looking for a less conventional picture book featuring The Twelve Days of Christmas.… (meer)