Product Description

As St. Nick and eight tiny reindeer descend through a brilliant night sky, the famous Christmas poem begins. The father narrates the words just as Clement Moore wrote them, and artist Jan Brett captures the spirit of the story in glorious illustrations. Visually she extends it for children who will delight in watching two mischievous stowaways from the North Pole enthusiastically exploring the sacks of gifts on the roof. St. Nick, inside the house, is unaware, until the toys spill down onto the lawn -- then he turns with a jerk, and sees them. Antique toys and exquisite ornaments frame the borders, in which the father, St.Nick, or the family cat and dog can be found watching the action. A unique and beautiful edition, which all the family will cherish for years to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #137872 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Amazon.com Review
Whose tiny faces are peeking out from Santa's golden sleigh? Yikes! It's two of Santa's elves who are Christmas Eve stowaways. Beloved illustrator Jan Brett's version of The Night Before Christmas lets these two mischievous elves add their rambunctious spirit to this familiar 1823 rhyming story. Here, Santa and his reindeer land on the snowy roof of a Victorian mansion in New England. While Santa delivers the toys inside, the elves and the reindeer frolic around the lawn, as a pig (earmarked for a girl named Jan) and a few alphabet blocks spill out of sacks into the snow. Santa swiftly reins in the mischief-makers and "away they all flew like the down on a thistle." Brett's richly illustrated borders are lavishly decorated with antique toys, ornaments, and sweet treats, all surrounded with twisting golden ribbons. They also give us a window on the mansion's inhabitants, including the children watching Santa's departure in awe. A sugarplum of a Christmas story, just right for a reading before "a long winter's nap." (Click to see a sample spread. Illustrations ©1998 by Jan Brett. Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers.) (Ages 3 to 6) --Marcie Bovetz

From Publishers Weekly
Firelight, moonglow and shadow flicker throughout Whatley's (Whatley's Quest) interpretation of this holiday chestnut. The protagonist here is adult, residing in a New England hamlet; his home is filled with details seemingly from earlier this century. The book exudes a gee-whiz excitement, but the manic expressions of Santa and his reindeer take the idea of wide-eyed wonder a tad too far, breaking an otherwise magical mood. And the significance of the gift Santa winkingly hands the narrator (a cowboy toy that apparently evokes his boyhood) may befuddle younger readers. All ages. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2?Brett sets her distinctive, lavish presentation of this poem in a Victorian house in a New England village, with an Old World Santa and a couple of stowaway elves who steal the show. Double-page spreads offer much to explore, while the artist's signature "in the border" additions extend the story line. Sometimes the paintings illustrate the words to the poem; other times they highlight the behind-the-scenes activities. Winsome reindeer play along good-naturedly with the stowaways, and their facial expressions and body language are utterly endearing. Brett's elves add a lighthearted dimension to this Christmas classic, while her illustrations maintain the appealing Victorian flair of the original.?LF
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

The Night Before Christmas, Ruth Sanderson Illustrator
I purchased the hardcover edition for my 2 year old daughter. The Illustrations are absoulutely beautiful. The only problem I have with it is that it is not the original poem by Moore. It has been censored, yes, censored. The 2 lines "The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath." have been removed! I understand that smoking is no longer a "PC" thing in this day and age, but when you are purchasing a classic poem, one you remember from your childhood, you expect to get the actual poem. I was disappointed that this fact had not been noted in the product description. I guess it's a little 1984ish to me, to start censoring a book and not inform the consumer.

Great illustrations
The poem is legendary of course but what my children (3 and 6) love is how Tasha Tudor brings the story to life. Every drawing has so many things going on that they find new ones every time we read it. By far their favorite Chistmas book.

The Night Before Christmas illustrated by Tasha Tudor
I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.