The Night Before Christmas

Only the vivid imagination of James Rice could capture the arrival of Santa on Christmas Eve in such active detail. From the dancing mice who decorate the Christmas tree, to the bumbling reindeer landing on the family's roof, his colorful illustrations warm the hearts of children and adults alike.

After writing and illustrating several parodies of Clement Moore's classic Christmas tale, author/illustrator James Rice uses his unique style to illustrate the original version of St. Nick's visit. What's more, Rice's talent for portraying emotions is particularly evidenced in The Night Before Christmas as Poppa reacts with surprise, Santa chuckles with glee, and Grandpa's photo, hanging next to the Christmas tree, watches the whole nighttime adventure with a skeptical eye.

Author/illustrator James Rice (1934-2004) produced sixty books, including the illustrations for Pelican's treasured The Night Before Christmas Series. Rice's first book, the well-loved classic Cajun Night Before Christmas®, has more than 750,000 copies in print. Young readers can enjoy more of Gaston®'s adventures in Gaston® Goes to Mardi Gras and sample Rice's other children's stories with favorites such as Texas Jack at the Alamo. With more than 1.5 million copies of his books in print, Rice ranks among the nation's best-selling creators of children's books, receiving awards from Printer Industries of America and the Children's Book Council, among others. Years after his death, Rice's family found the art and text Gaston® Joins the Circus, and this discovery has brought Gaston® back for one more adventure!