Night Before Christmas

The particular charm of this much-loved Christmas poem is found in the illustrations, late nineteenth and early twentieth century full-color plates from a collection of antique picture books. The original text is familiar, beautifully balanced by page after page of images that evoke another era, when life was simple and children fell asleep on Christmas Eve with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, slumbering boys and girls protected by a hovering trio of angels, "mama in her kerchief and I in my cap", Santa whipping his reindeers through the snowy night sky and a brightly decorated tree surrounded by toys and packages to delight the children on Christmas morning. Over the years, this popular holiday poem of Jolly Old Saint Nick has been printed in many forms, editions of every size for every age; this 2005 Chronicle edition is perfect as a small gift for a favorite child or as a stocking stuffer, easy for small hands to hold, the illustrations as enchanting as the poem. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

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.

This is a beautifully illustrated version of the Christmas classic. Adults as well as children will be fascinated by the detailed drawings, which show animals as well as children and adults experiencing the wonder of Christmas.

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 classic story is brought to life with superb illustration. My 2 year old daughter and I read it over and over to prepare for Santa's visit this Christmas. It is the best version of the book we have been able to find. This makes a great newborn gift!