THE SHEPHERD, THE ANGEL, AND WALTER THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE DOG

What do you tell your little sister when her dog dies on Christmas Eve? In the Christmas extravaganza, is it better to be a shepherd or a "Three King"? What do you do when a ton of bat poop breaks through the floor of the church belfry and drops on your sweetheart? This child's first-person account of a Christmas pageant gone awry reminds one of Jean Shepherd's classic A CHRISTMAS STORY. However, Barry's reading is flat and a bit rushed. He steps on his jokes. Yet the risible situations--as when the hero's dad disguises the dog's corpse as part of a crèche--manage to shine through. Y.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 07]