The Christmas Elf is a rhymed fairy tale picture book that will engage the imaginations of young children from about age 4 to age 8. Early readers will enjoy reading this book. It is well known by researchers in child development that exposure by preschool children to nursery rhymes and rhymed stories is developmentally advantageous in numerous ways: speech and cognitive development, reading comprehension, vocabulary development and encouraging creativity. Rhyming patterns evoke a concentrated awareness in the child through the language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound and rhythm.