A Christmas Carol (picture book edition) [Hardcover]

Charles Dickens (Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2009 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In this luminous picture book adaptation of Charles Dickens' immortal classic, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge leaps off the page to warm the soul of one and all. Be swept away in an unforgettable Christmas Eve, from Scrooge's first “Bah, humbug!” to the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Past; from the courage of Tiny Tim to the glory of Christmas morning. Brett Helquist's art bursts with spirit, humor, and an irresistible attention to detail. Here is a treasure for the whole family to share, year after year. A merry Christmas, everyone!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 3 Up–Dickens's cautionary tale of an embittered, stingy old man learning to be a happier, more giving person thanks to the intervention of four ghosts has long been fodder for holiday collections. From its stark opening spread (&MARLEY WAS DEAD) to the final one with its much more cheerful winter scene, this year's version, illustrated in Helquist's darkly comic style, is one of the best. Some of that credit must go to Greenhut, who provided the abridgment. Sacrificing none of Dickens's rich language, this retelling reads beautifully. The artist uses watercolor, pencil, and pastel to create cinematic artwork that contains amusing details; additionally, there are a number of pen-and-ink vignettes that help set the scenes. A winning combination of sparkling prose and exciting art.–Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library END

About the Author

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was one of England's greatest writers. Best known for his classic serialized novels, such as Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations, Dickens wrote about the London he lived in, the conditions of the poor, and the growing tensions between the classes. He achieved critical and popular international success in his lifetime and was honored with burial in Westminster Abbey.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061650994
• ISBN-13: 978-0061650994
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

One of the grand masters of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Landport, Portsea, England. He died in Kent on June 9, 1870. The second of eight children of a family continually plagued by debt, the young Dickens came to know not only hunger and privation,but also the horror of the infamous debtors' prison and the evils of child labor. A turn of fortune in the shape of a legacy brought release from the nightmare of prison and "slave" factories and afforded Dickens the opportunity of two years' formal schooling at Wellington House Academy. He worked as an attorney's clerk and newspaper reporter until his Sketches by Boz (1836) and The Pickwick Papers (1837) brought him the amazing and instant success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. In later years, the pressure of serial writing, editorial duties, lectures, and social commitments led to his separation from Catherine Hogarth after twenty-three years of marriage. It also hastened his death at the age of fifty-eight, when he was characteristically engaged in a multitude of work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated, February 6, 2010

By 

R. Seabourne "The Brown Fedora" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (picture book edition) (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my daughter for Christmas. It is well written for children and illustrated by the same gentleman that illustrated Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events". It is a wonderful edition to anyone's library: young or old.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My students loved it., December 28, 2009

By 

Smiley Jane "Kelly" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (picture book edition) (Hardcover)

I bought this to read to my third graders. We were comparing and contrasting this story with The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. They loved the story. It helped to talk about Charles Dickens, the era that he wrote the story, and why he wrote it. The pictures are nice, too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Appealing abridgement for picture book audience, November 23, 2011

By 

Experienced Editor (Illinois, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (picture book edition) (Hardcover)

A Christmas Carol has been a holiday favorite since it was first published in 1843. The original novella has been abridged to picture-book length with new illustrations, and a fine picture book it makes!

The text is not only shorter but also more accessible while still true to Dickens. For example, "Scrooge, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire" has been simplified to "He was a scraping old sinner, hard and sharp as flint." The plot, too, is streamlined. Gone is Scrooge's little sister, Fan, and gone, too, is Belle, the girl Scrooge almost married, but the three Christmas ghosts appear in all their mystery and magic. Mysterious and magical, too, is the new artwork, combining watercolor, pencil, and pastel to brighten the joyful parts of the story and shadow the eerie events. The result is a winning presentation, sure to please.