Tis the season to lighten up and smile. These new wintry holiday season picture books are full of whimsy, humor and cool artwork.

"Walking in a Winter Wonderland" as sung by Peggy Lee; illustrated by Tim Hopgood; Henry Holt; 32 pages; $17.99.

Artist Tim Hopgood loves creating wonder-filled picture books, including his happy "What a Wonderful World." The positive theme continues in this winter celebration of Peggy Lee's famous song; and the eye-catching retro artwork seems to have popped straight out of the 1950s. The snowy pages depict a family cavorting in frosty fields and woods with a snowman, foxes, owls, squirrels and birds. Lee's playful lyrics make a freshly fun soundtrack for the lively pages.

"Walk This World at Christmastime" by Debbie Powell; Big Picture Press/Candlewick; 26 pages; $17.99.

With a sort of "It's a Small World After All" look, Debbie Powell's oversized board book is a Christmastime journey around the world for kids up to about age 8. Beginning with Canada and the U.S., busy pages are packed first with different American scenes with appealingly colorful but small and abstract graphics. We then travel on to South America, Africa, Spain, Europe, Italy and Greece and even Iraq, the Philippines and Australia. Each page spread features a rhyming paragraph and flaps to lift that give more local Christmas details.

A cool, artsy way to celebrate Christmas globally, "Walk This World at Christmastime" makes a smart and worldly gift.

"The Christmas Eve Tree" by Delia Huddy; illustrated by Emily Sutton; Candlewick Press; 32 pages; $16.99.

"A forest of Christmas trees stretching over the hills. That's where the story begins," reads Delia Huddy's thoughtful tale of a fallen, scraggly little pine tree that's the last to be chosen at a department store. The little boy who chooses the Charlie Brown-like tree plants it in a cardboard box and brings it to his own home under a bridge. When someone gives the boy change to buy food, he instead buys candles for his tree. His homeless friends are bitten by the holiday bug and start singing warmly and playing the accordion by the glowing tree, attracting quite a crowd.

Eventually the little boy moves on. But a street sweeper notices a green sprout in his trash and replants the tree in a park, where it grows big and tall and dreams of "that magical Christmas eve." "Who would have thought?" the tree wonders, as it looks forward to another spring.

A gorgeously written tale of thankfulness, goodness and seeing the beauty in everything, "The Christmas Eve Tree" is also festooned with delightfully vintage-looking cozy pictures. This one is a keeper and should be a classic. It's simply beautiful.

"Presents Through the Window" by Taro Gomi; Chronicle Books; 36 pages; $15.99.

Taro Gomi has created over 350 books for readers of all ages, and his signature rounded, friendly illustrations are irresistible. The Santa Claus in his book is tan and Asian and determined to figure out who gets what gifts by peeking into windows. First he spots a mouse asleep in a house and drops tiny boots in the window. A kitten gets pretty bows, but then his window views go a tad haywire. He sees black-and-white stripes in one and thinks it's a zebra, though really it's geese necks against a black wall. He spots a fox's ears, which turn out to be a dragon's scales. And a crocodile's teeth are actually a bevy of bunny ears sleeping in a row.

With plenty of low-key humor and cut-paper windows to peek through, Gomi's witty book will please even hip parents.

"Prissy & Pop Deck the Halls" by Melissa Nicholson; photographs by Petra Terova; HarperCollins; 32 pages; $17.99.

Instagram piglet sensations Priscilla and Poppleton (@prissy_pig) are certainly photogenic enough to star in their own picture book and parade about here in holiday regale. With Christmas sweaters, pajamas and even chef's hats, the adorable pigs make cookies, decorate a gingerbread house, cut paper snowflakes and pose by the tree. In one hilariously festive scene, Prissy and Pop, mouths wide and eyes gleaming, sing "Jingle Bells," then fall asleep by the fire.

Adorable photographs depict a pig pair that most definitely shouer. Cute!

To find out more about Lee Littlewood, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.