From Scientific American
Ghostly color illustrations distinguish Carter Goodrich's version of
A Christmas Carol. Goodrich's caricatures are well suited to the classic Dickens tale. Dickens read his story aloud on many occasions, and the version presented here is the pared-down one adapted by Dickens himself for reading aloud (in about 90 minutes, down from three hours).
Gr. 5 and up, younger for reading aloud. There's a new version of
A Christmas Carol on every holiday list, but this one is special. It is Dickens' own performance text, cut and adapted by him for reading aloud in 90 minutes. All the great lines are here (well, almost all), including Scrooge's ever contemporary advice on what to do with the poor ("Are there no prisons?"). The book's spacious design, with thick paper, clear type, and 21 sepia tone illustrations done in watercolor and colored pencils, is great for group sharing. The pictures are comic and scary but never overwhelming. They pick up the theatrical, larger-than-life scenarios: the brooding, scowling miser alone at his desk; the ghostly visitors; the Cratchit family ecstatic over Christmas dinner.