If I mention Tomie dePaola’s Christmas picture books one more time, I’ll be labeled a broken record. So instead, I’ll bring to your attention today two other Christmas books. Each is written by a different author, but both are brought to life through the skillful brush of P. J. Lynch.
Let’s begin with The Gift of the Magi, by the inimitable O. Henry. In my high school days, I was a lowly but eager aide at my local library. I gained plenty of marketable skills during my tenure there — one of which was the ability to carry close to (or maybe more than, I don’t remember) 20 DVD cases at once and reshelve them without dropping any — but I really just enjoyed being among the stacks. There were many treasures on those shelves, even in that small branch library, and one of these was a massive, black-bound hardcover collection of O. Henry’s short stories. I must’ve checked out this book a dozen times — and incurred plenty of late fees on it — and each perusal deepened my appreciation for this American writer.
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