Merry Christmas, Amanda & April Celebrates Sisterhood With All Its Wrinkles

Amanda is a young pig who wants to be good. Really she does. But sometimes, it can be so hard! As Christmas approaches in Merry Christmas, Amanda & April, she has only one thing on her mind: a Snuggly Baby Pig that says “Mama” whenever you pull its string. But she worries that Santa will find her virtue lacking. She must work to improve her track record, even if it means taking care of her little sister April.

Bonnie Pryer’s prose makes clear that one of these sisters is very good at following instructions, while the other is not. There’s a thread of sibling rivalry running through the book as Amanda resents the fact that being obedient comes so naturally to April and April fears that Amanda is going to get them into trouble by dawdling at the park when they should be going straight to the store for the baking supplies their mother requested. What’s more, April appears to be pretty young - about the equivalent of a preschooler - and Amanda is fairly neglectful when it comes to keeping an eye on her.

Throughout the book, Amanda makes a number of mistakes. However, while she has a forceful personality, a desire to change is evident, as is a sense of concern for others. That becomes especially clear toward the end of the book when she makes a significant sacrifice for the sake of someone in need. Hence, this is a story of personal growth, and though April acts largely as Amanda’s conscience, Amanda performs her most noble act with no prompting from her sister.

Diane de Groat’s watercolor illustrations are charming, showing the anthropomorphic pigs all dressed in their cozy winter best as they trek through town. It’s fun to point out all of the pig-centric items in the book, from the snowpigs that April creates while waiting for Amanda to finish sledding to the little toy pigs in April’s dollhouse. Other animals that come up include a hound dog, a Billy goat, a rabbit, a beaver, a porcupine and a squirrel. The paintings are full of colorful details, and de Groat’s representation of the sky’s changing colors as the sun begins to set is especially lovely.

For young children with siblings, Merry Christmas, Amanda & April is a cute book that encourages heartfelt generosity and celebrates the sisterly bond despite all of the squabbles that often accompany it.