Product Description

Award winner Robert Sabuda brings Clement Clarke Moore's classic tale of The Night Before Christmas to life in this festive pop-up edition, sure to become a perennial family favorite.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1226 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 12 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689838996
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com 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

From Publishers Weekly
Those wishing to give the holiday some gleeful pop need look no further than Sabuda's (The 12 Days of Christmas; The Christmas Alphabet) latest marvel of intricate paper engineering. In a slight twist, a tiny mouse family, tucked in and dreaming of shimmering sweets, wakens to sleigh-and-reindeer clatter. In Sabuda's signature style, a rainbow of solid-colored panels comprises the backgrounds, giving contrast to the white (save for St. Nick's suit) three-dimensional constructions. The pop-up of Santa's reindeer dramatically leaping toward readers is a stunner. All ages.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
K Up-Ingenious paper engineering sets off the well-known poem to fresh advantage in this arresting presentation. With his signature use of white paper and flaps revealing movable parts and pop-ups, Sabuda offers surprises on every page. A mouse watches the big hand of a clock strike midnight, the team of reindeer plunges dramatically toward readers, Santa's feet are seen springing up from the fireplace an instant before his head emerges from the chimney. In the final scene, an entire village, all in white, stands up on the page and, with the pull of a tab, Santa's sleigh streaks across a starlit sky. As with The Christmas Alphabet (Orchard, 1994), clever techniques, original design, and a unique graphic style set this work apart from most movable books. Due to its fragile nature, libraries may wish to keep it for displays, storytimes, and as an example of the pop-up at its most striking, rather than for circulation.-S. P.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Captivating Pop-Up Book!
"The Night Before Christmas," is Mr. Sabuda's pop-up version of Clement Clarke Moore's classic tale of Santa's visit on Christmas Eve. The phrasing has been altered; still the story is the same, except mice play the human roles. It is a delightful rendition that will appeal to both the young and old alike.

Different from any other pop-up book I've seen, the backgrounds in Mr. Sabuda's books are generally solid in nature with white pop-up's that are often accented with color. This makes a wonderful contrast of positive and negative space that is unusual, and unexpected yet, striking. In this book, the artist has added more color to the pop-ups than in his earlier holiday works. Creatively conceived, the detailed execution of the pop-ups is what REALLY captures the viewer's attention, and carries this book. They are SO fantastic I have to continually remind myself it is only paper. For instance, when Santa calls out to the reindeer, "No, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! . . ." all eight reindeer literally fly off the page in sleigh formation with Santa trailing behind. It's brilliant! In addition, the finale is gorgeous! It is nearly an all-white scene with Santa in his sleigh, bidding adieu to a quaint little neighborhood down below. The backdrop displays a snow-capped mountain with a pull-tab that allows the viewer to draw Santa and his reindeer across the sky, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight."

"The Night Before Christmas," is a hardbound book that measures 8 ¼" x 8 ¼" x 1 ½". Highly imaginative, both conceptually and artistically this book will make a valued addition to any Christmas collection. CAREFUL, young one's will be mesmerized by the pop-up action, and will want to grab. Probably best for children four-years and up.

Amazing pop-up!
What a wonderful book! I am totally amazed at the intricate pop-ups! What a feat of engineering! Mice play the roles normally attributed to people, and that is a whimsical touch. The pop-ups are done primarily in white, but touches of red, green, and shiny silver are used throughout the book. The reindeer burst off the page in one pop-up, and the village at the end is just beautiful. I intend to buy another one of these books. I will use one at Christmas in my library, and I will keep another in my book collection.

Another masterpiece for Sabuda.
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is this year's Sabuda masterpiece to be added to his growing list of amazing works. To go along with Clement Moore's famous poem, Sabuda gives us eleven gorgeous, complex pop-ups that really DO pop up. At the same time, it's really rather elegant. Most of the pop-ups are in simple white with silver embellishments. This is SO much fun! Santa and the reindeer quite literally jump right out at you. Look for subtle things, like the minute hand moving on the clock, and the window shade going up. And at the end you get a whole little village. WARNING: This book is NOT toddler-proof. This is a work of art. By all means, share it with the children. They'll love it! But keep it just far enough away from their eager fingers. Do NOT miss this one!