HERE IS A BOOK of Christmas Reading sure to delight many young reader from eight on, and probably every member of their families, too.

This is the first anthology by Claire Huchet Bishop, well known for her many outstanding children's books, including Pancakes-Paris, All Alone, and The Big Loop. Mrs. Bishop has drawn on her real knowledge of what young readers like to make this attractive book enjoyable for the holiday season and the year round.

Happy Christmas! offers a variety of approaches to the Christmas message. The editor has chosen selections of good literary standing, with only a few included because of their familiar appeal. Several selections have never before been published in this country.

Besides the stories there are poems, of the kind easy to memorize, and some of them lend themselves to being performed as plays by children. The one straight play presented requires little in the way of stage setting and costume. Some favorite Christmas carols are included, too, with melodies simple enough for the beginner to follow on the piano. The many charming woodcuts by Ellen Raskin add a happy holiday flavor of their own.

A special feature that young collectors will appreciate is the section giving lists of Christmas music on records, and of sources from which to obtain color prints of famous paintings on the Christmas theme. These lists add a wider horizon to the book's enjoyment for readers of all ages.

From the dust jacket