So Many Dogs, So Little Time...

Is there any song in the history of Christmas music more irritating and easier to lampoon than The 12 Days of Christmas? Oh, I like the song just fine, but by the time that 12th repetition rolls around, I'm usually good and ready to have it over and done with. In fact, my favorite version of the song is the ludicrous sound effects extravaganza included on A Prairie Home Christmas, which manages to slice the song's running time about in half.

Despite stories floating around that each item on the list was originally written as a code by which to learn important aspects of Christianity, that sounds like revisionism to me. If you can get some meaning out of it, great, but my sense of it is that the list is just a random compilation of gifts, most of which are completely ridiculous, particularly since everything but the rings is alive, meaning the speaker is the lucky recipient of 324 entities. Who needs that?

Apparently, 7-year-old Emma Kragen does. Many children dream of getting a dog for Christmas. Emma dreams of getting dozens of them. Imagine the chaos! Imagine the grocery bills! Of course, while Kragen came up with the concept, she had a little help bringing her idea to execution. Donald Fuller provided the photography, while Sharon Collins and Kelly Ann Moore were in charge of illustration and design. It's the mix that makes this board book especially fun. Doodly backgrounds surround lively photographed dogs, sure to bring giggles for dog-loving youngsters like Kragen.

The list includes...

1 Poodle
2 St. Bernards
3 Cocker Spaniels
4 Basset Hounds
5 Golden Retrievers
6 Boxers
7 Huskies
8 Sheepdogs
9 Chihuahuas
10 Dalmatians
11 Labs

and...

Well, I won't tell you what shows up on the 12th day, but it certainly shakes things up a bit! The pages are great fun and demonstrate the personalities of the various canines. I especially get a kick out of the golden retrievers' haloes; the Bernards may be the saints, but is there any more angelic breed than the perpetually good-natured golden retriever?

For added fun (and eventual annoyance), a CD with a recording of the song is included. If you really like the book, it inspired a movie; I haven't seen it yet, but I intend to check it out one of these days. For yet another twist on the song that keeps on giving, check out The 12 Dogs of Christmas.