The Night Before Christmas - Softcover

Moore, Clement Clarke; Tudor, Tasha

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316832715 ISBN 13: 9780316832717

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2002

Synopsis

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...

There are countless renditions of Clement C. Moore's classic holiday poem, The Night Before Christmas, but none is cozier or more full of joy than this one, brought to magical life by one of America's most cherished and highly-acclaimed illustrators, the late Tasha Tudor. This special 10th anniversary paperback has a great new look, with a redesigned cover featuring an illustration of a Christmas tree and sparkling gold foil. With crisp snowy landscapes, warm glowing details, and a host of cuddly critters, children (and adults!) will love cuddling up and reading this festive holiday story as they stay up on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa to come down the chimney.

About this title

Review:

The ingenious Robert Sabuda returns for yet another inspired pop-up book, a follow-up to The 12 Days of Christmas and The Christmas Alphabet, that retells Clement Clarke Moore's classic yuletide rhyme.

Sabuda remains a master of the medium, constructing a series of varied and well-engineered scenes: Santa pops in and out of the chimney, beds fold out, a window shade rises and falls, and, in a clever nod to Moore's not-a-creature-was-stirring text, it's a family of mice who are receiving Santa's nighttime visit. A pull-out tab even lets readers interact, when Santa's sleigh glides out on the clouds and over an intricately realized village. It's hard to pick a favorite scene here, but you can bet that kids will love the book's pop de résistance, in which Santa's lead reindeer nearly fly right up your nose (if they don't knock you out of your chair first).

The book's first-rate production and lively pop-ups are enough to recommend it, but Sabuda goes one better by showing the thoughtful restraint to make most of the pop-ups almost entirely white. A few accents of color catch your eye (Santa's red suit and silver pipe), but--as befits such a dynamic book--the visual focus stays on the action. (All ages) --Paul Hughes

Review:

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there."

Generations of children have thrilled to these words as their favorite holiday grows near. Clement C. Moore wrote this account of a man's encounter with St. Nicholas in 1822 to entertain his children. Since then, his charming descriptions have become the definitive portrait of Santa Claus, from his twinkling eyes to his droll little mouth to the belly that shakes like a "bowlful of jelly." In this edition, award-winning illustrator Bruce Whatley brings Moore's well-loved Christmas classic to life with his vivid pictures and unusual perspectives. Readers can practically look up Dasher and Dancer's noses at one point, in a near-3-D close-up image of Santa's flock of reindeer.

Bright colors and clever details (one remaining leaf hangs from a tree outside the window, mice curl tightly together in a nest on a high shelf, reindeer peek mischievously over the rooftop at the unsuspecting narrator...) make this a holiday book the whole family will return to year after year. (Ages 3 to 10) --Emilie Coulter

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0316832715
• ISBN 13: 9780316832717
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32