"Expertly crafted cut-paper collages illustrate this simple roundup of holiday delights. Each page represents a day in December as Snowbear, a fuzzy white polar bear, prepares for the holidays and enjoys winter activities. On the first day he writes Santa; on the third day he hangs Christmas lights and so on. There's plenty of playtime too. On day ten he brings out his toy trains, and on day thirteen he sleds with his animal pals, who all join him on the twenty-fifth for presents and celebration. Skillfully combining textured and patterned papers, Smythe creates vivid, detailed scenes of Snowbear at work and play that capture both the joyful, energetic bustle and the deep coziness of the season, and his simple, direct words are just right for reading aloud. Merry and bright holiday fare that young children may want to return to throughout the year."---BOOKLIST

"If only we could all be as organized as Snowbear. He gets his Christmas want-list ready on the first day of December (I like a bear who understands priorities); on the second he gets out his woolens, the third sees him stringing the lights along the roof...and after setting out the cookies for Santa and the reindeer on the twenty-fourth, he's all ready to celebrate with his friends on Christmas morning...preschoolers looking forward to the big day will enjoy the orderly procession of events, and so much to do. In Smythe's effectively busy collage illustrations, an appealingly fuzzy Snowbear (fashioned from what looks like white rice paper) keeps the lights on for Martha Stewart in his ebullient and all-encompassing month of preparation. Pass the scissors and glue!"---THE HORN BOOK

"On December 1, Snowbear begins his preparations for Christmas by making a wish list for Santa. Each of the next 24 days finds him engaged in a new activity-stringing lights, arranging his snow-globe collection, sending cards, making ornaments, wrapping presents, watching his favorite holiday movies. The simple text and appealing cut-paper collage illustrations provide a complete iconography for a warm-and-fuzzy celebration for this winning character and his animal friends."---SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL