Product Description

In the big, quiet house where parents are sleeping, the children wait and listen, thinking of reindeer and angels and stars. Then, with no sound but there own thumping hearts, the children creep downstairs to see the glorious tree and to make a Christmas wish.

Margaret Wise Brown's magical story captures all the wonder and mystery of a child's Christmas Eve. Nancy Edwards Calder's exquisite paintings highlight all the details that make this night so special.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #610178 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-31
• Released on: 2000-10-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Three children sneak out of bed to observe their cozy house awash in the quiet magic of Christmas Eve. Brown's (Goodnight Moon) text balances heart-pounding, childlike excitement with graceful imagery ("The Christmas tree was all there, trimmed with shiny glints of red and blue and green that flickered in the dying firelight"). In Calder's (The Christmas House) soft, grainy paintings, quaint and beautifully appointed houses nestle in the hush of a nighttime snowfall evoking suburban New England. The gray interior light of the children's house is warmed and brightened by the glow of a fire in the hearth, lanterns and bulbs twined around an old-fashioned Christmas tree. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4^-8. Three children can't get to sleep on Christmas Eve, so they creep downstairs to "touch the tree and make a wish." Downstairs they discover their stockings stuffed with oranges, candy canes, and little white packages, and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and presents. The magical moment is enhanced when adult carolers come singing. Calder depicts the idyllic Christmas experience with a Victorian house in full array, snow falling outside, and a soft glow suffusing the children's thrilled faces. Tasha Tudor's fans will love this. Susan Dove Lempke

Review
"Magical. Depicts the idyllic Christmas experience." -- -- ALA Booklist

Customer Reviews

A wonderfully calm, quiet story of children's Christmas
This book is a wonderful book for a quiet calm, nighttime story during the Christmas Holidays. It has calming text, calming pictures and yet it captures the majesty and awe that is Christmas better than any other Christmas story I've read. If you have young children and love Christmas, I heartily recommend this book.

The Mystery of Christmas
This book builds up the mystery of Christmas. It begins with children snuggled in their beds, just as in Twas the Night Before Christmas. But these children can't sleep- -they want to touch the Christmas tree. They go downstairs and look at the tree and all the gifts. Then instead of hearing the clatter of hooves on the roof, they hear Christmas carolers out in the yard. Listening to the carolers, they return to their beds. The pictures and words capture the mystery and excitement of Christmas, without trying to impart a lesson or moral. All told, the book contains about 550 words.

A Classic
I have been reading this book to preschoolers and Kindergarteners for over 15 years. They all love it. The book I have is an older edition and it only has a few colors in the illustrations. It doesn't matter, though. The words are so descriptive that the children are captivated. That's quite an accomplishment in today's world of TV and DVDs!