Loren Long’s beloved character, Otis, saves Christmas

This year, make sure your little one — ideally between the ages of 3 and 7 — adds Loren Long’s picture book, “An Otis Christmas” (Philomel), to their wish list. The fourth in the author-illustrator’s beloved Otis-the-tractor series features the farm’s residents anticipating the arrival of Christmas — and a new foal! But on Christmas Eve, the pregnant horse begins to suffer complications. The suspense builds as a farmhand jumps into his truck to retrieve Doc Baker, but gets stuck in the snow. With powder “up to his chin,” Otis, the heroic tractor, sets out to save the mother and her baby horse. A story brimming with heroism and the awe we feel in the presence of a new life, “An Otis Christmas” is a welcome reminder of the true gifts of the holiday season — family and friends.

“An Otis Christmas” by Loren Long, $17.99, www.barnesandnoble.com.