Deck the Hall: A Traditional Carol [Hardcover]

Sylvia Long (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000 | Grade Level: P and up

Bestselling artist Sylvia Long brings the holidays to life in this beautifully illustrated edition of a beloved Christmas carol. Readers will delight in singing along with the familiar lyrics celebrating the joys of the seasondecorating the mantel, singing carols and sharing quiet moments with family. A wonderful gift, this lively carol and the rich details of Sylvia Long's illustrations combine perfectly to evoke the magic and warmth of this favorite time of year.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Fa la la la la, la la la la." Ah, the sounds of Christmas! Bestselling illustrator of Sylvia Long's Mother Goose and Hush Little Baby, Sylvia Long embraces the holiday season with her tribute to the ever-popular carol, "Deck the Hall." Each two-page spread features, on the left side, two lines of the song beneath a festive decoration bordered by "fa-la-las." On the right side are detailed, original pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations of a joyful bunny family preparing for Christmas. Whether decking the halls with boughs of holly or donning their gay apparel, the merry rabbits celebrate with abandon. One of the most memorable scenes is when the young boy rabbit "troll[s] the ancient yuletide carol"--apparently at the top of his lungs, judging from the view he gives the reader of his crooning, wide-open mouth. For those who have always meaninglessly mumbled the words to this traditional carol, it's high time real attention be paid to this celebration of "the season to be jolly." (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Booklist

Ages 2-6. The charming rabbit family from Long's Hush Little Baby (1997) is back in this illustrated version of a traditional carol. Unlike the previous title, this one is not a reworking of the lyrics; "Deck the Hall" remains the familiar ode to yuletide cheer, with phrases like "sing we joyous all together" unchanged for modern kids. Despite all the fun "Fa la la la's," it's the pictures that hold the appeal. The bright, colorful pen, ink, and watercolor artwork on each page shows the anthropomorphic father, mother, and child rabbit rolling through the Christmas season: decorating the snowy tree, singing in church, opening presents, caroling, and making snow angels. Rabbit references--ubiquitous carrots, an ancestral bunny on a cameo pin, a winged angel cottontail--will get some giggles, but most compelling is the sense of cozy excitement infusing each picture. A good choice for young ones learning the season's canon of songs. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1st edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811828212
• ISBN-13: 978-0811828215
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,151,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yuletide Family Fun - A Cherished Tradition, November 18, 2001

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deck the Hall: A Traditional Carol (Hardcover)

This beautiful little book should be a part of every child's Yuletide celebration. The text consists of the words to the Old Welsh traditional carol, "Deck the Hall" and as such comes equipped with plenty of merry holiday ambiance and the illustrations of Sylvia Long make the carol into a magical Yuletide treasure. A loving family of rabbits celebrates the season together with Mama, Papa and their little son hanging the yew garlands, the colored lights,and ornaments (including the special carrot ornament of course!) and getting all dressed up in their gay apparel for a worship service complete with carolling. They cuddle together before the blazing Yule fire, enjoy hot steaming mugs of hot cocoa and have fun cutting out cookies together. The little boy gets flour on the red flannel sleeves of his Dr. Dentons as he carefully works the star cookie cutter and Mama looks on encouragingly. The family strings popcorn, cranberries and nuts to trim the pine tree outdoors for the birds and tiny wreaths of suet and seeds are tied on with crimson ribbons. Bundled up in their soft warm jammies the family reads a Yuletide story before Mama and Papa tuck their little son into bed beneath a charming patchwork quilt. They stand snuggled together in the doorway, looking lovingly at their beautiful sleeping boy. Excitment abounds as the presents are opened in the morning and a fun-filled day of ice-skating, sledding and making snow angels begins. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!
I really love this little jewel of a book and I think you will, too.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book to go with the song!, April 20, 2011

By 

MommaLove - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deck the Hall: A Traditional Carol (Hardcover)

We bought this book for our 8 month old son around the holidays. He loved looking at the pictures as we sang Deck the Halls. Typical of Sylvia Long's work, the illustrations are very detailed and are very engaging to both children and adults alike. When we were not reading the book, we kept it on display on the piano, making a great decoration, as well! I can't wait to pull it out during the holidays next year!

4.0 out of 5 stars My baby loves it, January 21, 2010

By 

M. Yoder (Ohio) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deck the Hall: A Traditional Carol (Hardcover)

I didn't think the illustrations were as cute as I'd hoped - the rabbits just look odd to me. But they are certainly better than average, and most important, I bought it for my baby and she loves it. She's 11 months old and wants mom and dad to read (sing) this book to her over and over. I expect this will be a treasured part of her childhood memories of Christmas for life, and it does introduce her to traditional Christmas images (yule log, Christmas tree, carol singing, winter bird feeding, cookie making, playing in the snow) that we'll share as a family.