Michael Hague's Family Christmas Treasury [Hardcover]

Michael Hague (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Master illustrator Michael Hague has selected thirty-one of his favorite texts, carols, and poems and brought them together to create a lavish anthology that's the perfect celebration of Christmas.

All the classic stories and songs are here, as well as some new ones that are sure to become classics. There are entries for the oldest and youngest family members to enjoy, and the collection is divided into three sections: the Spirit of Christmas, which celebrates the holiness of the holiday; the Story of Christmas, which recounts the story of the Christ child's birth; and the Celebration of Christmas, which includes music, songs, and stories by such writers as Charles Dickens and Dylan Thomas.

This is the perfect Christmas gift for all the people you love. Light the candles, pour the eggnog, and let Christmas begin!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6, younger for reading or singing aloud. Hague presents 32 of his favorite Christmas stories, poems, and carols, with full-color paintings in mixed media on watercolor board, some full page and others decorative. Among the selections are selections from the King James Version of the Bible, O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," and excerpts from Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows and Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol, as well as a number of the most familiar carols, with music. A handsome volume, perfect for family sharing. Sally Estes

Review

"Hague presents 32 of his favorite Christmas stories, poems, and carols, with full-color paintings in mixed-media on water-color board. A handsome volume that is perfect for family sharing."--Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 118 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (October 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805010114
• ISBN-13: 978-0805010114
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-rounded anthology, April 20, 2006

By 

Steven Dhuey (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Michael Hague's Family Christmas Treasury (Hardcover)

With the shelves overflowing with Christmas volumes of all kinds, the book buyer needs guidance to an anthology that is broad, basic, and family worthy. This is it. Michael Hague is both the editor and illustrator of these selections, which are divided into three sections: The Story of Christmas (mainly Gospel tellings of the nativity), The Spirit of Christmas, and The Celebration of Christmas. Each section is interspersed with appropriate Christmas songs and poems. The perennial classics are here, of course: Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas", and a scene of the Cratchit household from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Then there are modern memoirs on their way to becoming classics in their own right: excerpts from "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas and "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote, both miniature gems of description. And who knew that prairie realist Willa Cather wrote a tale set at the North Pole, with talking reindeer, polar bear, and werewolf dog? It's here. So is a charming scene of Yuletide domestic tranquility from Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows". But, to the editor's credit, this treasury also includes elements of the tragic (Andersen's "The Little Match Girl") and the bittersweet (O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi") for balance.

Hague's mixed media color drawings, mainly pastels and watercolors, adapt themselves to each application, sometimes Medieval, sometimes pre-Raphaelite, sometimes Victorian, and by default the quality expected of a good children's storybook.

"Michael Hague's Family Christmas Treasury" will make an excellent holiday gift, but you'll have to buy at least two copies - after you see it, you'll want to keep one for your own family.