On Christmas Eve

I bought this book 10 years ago when my first daughter was born. The words flow and the illustrations are beautiful. It's a nice cozy sit down and cuddle with your kids before bed book. I keep it on the shelf and each Christmas season it comes out and gets read several times. A classic!

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.

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!

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.