A Clever Beatrice Christmas    by Margaret Willey & Heather M. Solomon Order:  USA  Can Atheneum, 2006 (2006) Hardcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Clever Beatrice lives in the far North of Quebec, where Christmas is coming! Beatrice and her mother pull a sled to the village store, to stock up on ingredients to make a special cake (Bûche de Noël) for the holiday. Children who are skating call for Beatrice to join them - they have questions for her about Père Noël (Santa Claus). René questions 'how Père Noël can bring presents to so many children in one night', and Antoinette asks if Beatrice has seen him. Answering, Beatrice mentions that she sometimes hears the bells ringing on Père Noël's sleigh. When Rollo asks how she can be sure it's not a villager's sleigh bells, Beatrice promises to bring 'a bell from Père Noël's very own sleigh' on Christmas Day. How will she manage it? Together the children make the Bûche de Noël. The next day, Beatrice and her mother cut a fir tree. She sleds with her new friends, and answers more questions about Père Noël - leading to another promise (a button from his cape this time!) The children decorate the tree, arrange the Christmas crèche, and feast with the rest of the townsfolk on Christmas Eve. There are more questions - and Beatrice promises a curl from Santa's beard. After midnight mass, Beatrice stays awake to meet Père Noël - who she decides is 'the cleverest of all'. And he certainly is in Margaret Willey's delightful story, rich in French Canadian Christmas tradition, and illustrated in lovely winter watercolors by Heather M. Solomon. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews