And they're off! Thirteen creatures in China have come to the river to join in the Emperor's race. Who will win the ultimate honor of naming the first year of the new calendar? And what will happen to the thirteenth animal? Join Rat, Monkey, Dragon and al

On the eve of the very first Christmas, an old grandmother is busy tidying her home when a bright star illuminates the sky. Soon three wise men arrive and invite Babushka to join them in their travels--following the star in search of a newborn babe, the Prince of Peace. But there are dishes to be washed, and floors to be swept, and Babushka is too absorbed in her work to leave her home with presents for the baby Jesus.

The next day, when Babushka tries to follow the men, she cannot find their tracks. Instead, she finds a little girl shivering in the cold, and a little boy, his tummy...