Early December once again found Santa...

Early December once again found Santa Claus in the paperback section of his favorite bookstore, looking for last-minute gifts. The budget cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency meant he could get away with lumps of coal for the people on the “naughty” list, he figured, but he still needed some presents for the “nice.”

MATERIAL WORLD A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel (Sierra Club Books: $20; 256 pp.) . At an ostensibly spiritual time that’s too often flooded with unneeded and unwanted junk, “Material World: A Global Family Portrait” offers material for reflection. Sixteen photographers visited 30 countries, taking pictures of statistically typical families amid their household possessions. A Japanese family of four with an annual income of $26,824 inhabits a 1,421-square-foot dwelling; an American family of four boasts 1,600 square feet of living space and an annual income of $22,356. A Haitian family of six, on the other hand, makes do with $374 a year and 325 square feet of space; a seven-member family in Ethiopia earns a meager $123 annually and has only 320 square feet. Reading “Material World” together could initiate a family discussion about wasteful consumption and the need to live ecologically sane lives.

After lighting a small fire in the O.J. Simpson section of the bookstore, Santa departed with his traditional apostrophe, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Read! “