The Night Before Christmas [Hardcover]

Clement Clarke Moore (Author), Lisbeth Zwerger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse . . .

Lisbeth Zwerger’s remarkable illustrations breathe fresh life into Clement Clarke Moore’s timeless Christmas poem as she lends her unique vision to Saint Nicholas’s fantastic midnight visit.

Here is a version of the classic verse unlike any other. Set in a Victorian style townhouse, it is filled with remarkable reindeer, children whose visions of sugar plums come alive with reverie, and a Saint Nicholas who’s as distinctive and magical as Zwerger’s art itself. Zwerger is a recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for children’s book illustrations, and this version of The Night Before Christmas is sure to delight her fans of all ages, and bring a whole new generation to her celebrated art.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. In this freshly imagined illustrated version of the beloved Christmas classic, Zwerger visually revisits the words with care, creating spare and immaculate visions. There are four lines of text facing each image. The first picture is a tiny mouse asleep in a tiny curtained bed. Pale sketches of what appear to be snowflakes dancing on the white space above the picture are actually circles of dancing children. Turn the page, and six children are snuggled in one huge bed, and tiny reindeer appear outside a Victorian townhouse window. St. Nick, often the focus of the art, appears in a deep-blue double-page spread in attire closer to Moore's description than the traditional American Santa, with toys streaming out behind his sleigh on golden threads; each reindeer has its own personality. By the time the "chubby and plump . . . right jolly old elf" lays out the toys and is off, the grisaille snowflakes of the first pages have turned to gold dancing configurations of children, reindeer, and more. Lovely. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Lisbeth Zwerger lives in Vienna, Austria.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Minedition (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698400305
• ISBN-13: 978-0698400306
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars just charming!, March 12, 2006

By 

Margaret Anne Suggs (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Night Before Christmas (Hardcover)

This is the classic Christams story we are all familiar with, but has been given an update with charming new illustrations. The pictures are gentle and sweet - adults will love it as much as the children!

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic, illustrated by a talented artist, March 11, 2006

By 

Howard Browman - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

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

If you like Zwerger's art, and this story, you will enjoy this book.