On Christmas Eve [Paperback]

Margaret Wise Brown (Author), Nancy Edwards Calder (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

In the big, quiet house where parents are sleeping, the children wait and listen, thinking of reindeer and angels and stars. Then, with no sound but there own thumping hearts, the children creep downstairs to see the glorious tree and to make a Christmas wish.

Margaret Wise Brown's magical story captures all the wonder and mystery of a child's Christmas Eve. Nancy Edwards Calder's exquisite paintings highlight all the details that make this night so special.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three children sneak out of bed to observe their cozy house awash in the quiet magic of Christmas Eve. Brown's (Goodnight Moon) text balances heart-pounding, childlike excitement with graceful imagery ("The Christmas tree was all there, trimmed with shiny glints of red and blue and green that flickered in the dying firelight"). In Calder's (The Christmas House) soft, grainy paintings, quaint and beautifully appointed houses nestle in the hush of a nighttime snowfall evoking suburban New England. The gray interior light of the children's house is warmed and brightened by the glow of a fire in the hearth, lanterns and bulbs twined around an old-fashioned Christmas tree. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. Three children can't get to sleep on Christmas Eve, so they creep downstairs to "touch the tree and make a wish." Downstairs they discover their stockings stuffed with oranges, candy canes, and little white packages, and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and presents. The magical moment is enhanced when adult carolers come singing. Calder depicts the idyllic Christmas experience with a Victorian house in full array, snow falling outside, and a soft glow suffusing the children's thrilled faces. Tasha Tudor's fans will love this. Susan Dove Lempke --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064436705
• ISBN-13: 978-0064436700
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,544,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Even though she died over 45 years ago, her books still sell very well. Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading. She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them. She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper. Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully calm, quiet story of children's Christmas, December 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: On Christmas Eve (Library Binding)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mystery of Christmas, November 18, 2003

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Christmas Eve (Unbound)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, February 22, 2002

By 

Cindy Thomson "Author and Family Historian" (OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Christmas Eve (Hardcover)

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!