"This third Zelda and Ivy picture book finds the foxy sisters eagerly awaiting Christmas: baking cookies with their friend and neighbor Ms. Brownlie, hoping for special presents (Ivy has her heart set on a Princess Mimi doll, Zelda, after perusing a catalog at Mrs. B's house, wants a velvet evening gown). Though Santa lets them down on Christmas – he brings the girls matching bathrobes – somehow, via "the Christmas Elf," each sister finds her longed-for gift under the tree. Although the anticipation of Chirstmas-morning booty provides much of the tension in the book, the heart of the story is the close relationship between the girls and the newly widowed Mrs. Brownlie – a very nice balance, as it effectively relegates greed to (a close) second place. As always, humor pervades the situations and the dialogue. And, as always, the illustrations, with their heavy but vibrant lines, are full of energy and movement."
— Horn Book, starred review
"A must for everyone's Christmas list."
— School Library Journal, starred review
Awards
Oppenheim Best Book Gold Award
