The Night Before Christmas [Hardcover]

Clement Clarke Moore (Author), Jan Brett (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

As St. Nick and eight tiny reindeer descend through a brilliant night sky, the famous Christmas poem begins. The father narrates the words just as Clement Moore wrote them, and artist Jan Brett captures the spirit of the story in glorious illustrations. Visually she extends it for children who will delight in watching two mischievous stowaways from the North Pole enthusiastically exploring the sacks of gifts on the roof. St. Nick, inside the house, is unaware, until the toys spill down onto the lawn -- then he turns with a jerk, and sees them. Antique toys and exquisite ornaments frame the borders, in which the father, St.Nick, or the family cat and dog can be found watching the action. A unique and beautiful edition, which all the family will cherish for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whose tiny faces are peeking out from Santa's golden sleigh? Yikes! It's two of Santa's elves who are Christmas Eve stowaways. Beloved illustrator Jan Brett's version of The Night Before Christmas lets these two mischievous elves add their rambunctious spirit to this familiar 1823 rhyming story. Here, Santa and his reindeer land on the snowy roof of a Victorian mansion in New England. While Santa delivers the toys inside, the elves and the reindeer frolic around the lawn, as a pig (earmarked for a girl named Jan) and a few alphabet blocks spill out of sacks into the snow. Santa swiftly reins in the mischief-makers and "away they all flew like the down on a thistle." Brett's richly illustrated borders are lavishly decorated with antique toys, ornaments, and sweet treats, all surrounded with twisting golden ribbons. They also give us a window on the mansion's inhabitants, including the children watching Santa's departure in awe. A sugarplum of a Christmas story, just right for a reading before "a long winter's nap." (Click to see a sample spread. Illustrations ©1998 by Jan Brett. Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers.) (Ages 3 to 6) --Marcie Bovetz

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2?Brett sets her distinctive, lavish presentation of this poem in a Victorian house in a New England village, with an Old World Santa and a couple of stowaway elves who steal the show. Double-page spreads offer much to explore, while the artist's signature "in the border" additions extend the story line. Sometimes the paintings illustrate the words to the poem; other times they highlight the behind-the-scenes activities. Winsome reindeer play along good-naturedly with the stowaways, and their facial expressions and body language are utterly endearing. Brett's elves add a lighthearted dimension to this Christmas classic, while her illustrations maintain the appealing Victorian flair of the original.?LF
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; Second Edition edition (October 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399231900
• ISBN-13: 978-0399231902
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clement Clarke Moore was a professor of religion and the author of several scholarly works. What he is most remembered for, however, is his poem "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," later called "The Night Before Christmas," and written as a Christmas gift for his six children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXQUISITE!, November 12, 2009

By 

Elaine Campbell "Desert Dweller" (Rancho Mirage, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Night Before Christmas (Tenth Anniversary Edition) (Hardcover)

This book is simply a beautiful thing. The illustrations bring Clement Moore's poetic story to brilliant life. Santa, the elves, the reindeer all seem so real one begins to feel like one is flying through the night sky with twinkling stars right with them. I never realized before what a perfect poem is Mr. Moore's. Not one word ill-chosen, not one phrase that doesn't belong, it glides along to the finale of the story. One only wishes one could return to the North Pole with this entourage, and that the book would keep on going.

The illustrations are truly breathtaking. We again have the Jan Brett trademark of the framing of her illustrations, done so naturally that the framework seems to be part of the story and pictures as well. I especially love her depiction of the marvelous reindeer - all so spirited and intent on their purpose.

Though they say nary a word, there are two stowaway elves on this nighttime sky journey. They assist in the packing and the distributing of various and sundry colorful gifts (into stockings, of course, waiting by the chimney to be filled). Oh what happy children there will be in the morning. Santa and his helpers, the elves, did their work well.

I can't think of a more perfect gift for any child age four to eight at Christmastime, or any other time for that matter, than this lovely, lovely book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute, November 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night Before Christmas (Hardcover)

I have been a Jan Brett fan all my life. Granted I'm only 12, but still. Having visited Stockbridge, where the book takes place, made this even more interesting. The best part by far was the fact that when flipping through the pages, I noticed, on page 18, my name attached to a pair of cowboy boots. Having written Ms. Brett a letter a few years ago, I was excited to relize that my sister's name is also included. Putting 2+2 together, I relized that smattered throughout the book were hundreds of names of children, most likely fans who wrote Ms. Brett. Bravo Jan Brett, for acknowledging your fans!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, December 27, 2010

By 

Valerie Gilliss (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Night Before Christmas (Tenth Anniversary Edition) (Hardcover)

I ordered this book for my husband to read to our daughter on Christmas Eve - a tradition passed down through his family. When we received it, we read through it, and although the pictures are beautiful (classic Jan Brett illustrations) the illustrator decided to add her own "twist" on the classic poem by depicting trouble-making elves wreaking havoc in Santa's sleigh. The main pictures don't match the story, and the illustrations that do go with the words are shown in the small side panes. I suppose it might be a nice copy for an older kid, but for young children this seems like it would be confusing. We will be returning this book and continuing our search for a beautifully illustrated, classic version of the poem.