Silent Night (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Silent night, indeed. Thanks to one yappy little dog, thousands of pencil-scrawled barks, yaps, wuffs, and grrrs fill a small family's house on Christmas Eve in this clever, comic-strip tale.

Sandy Turner's succinct bio reads (in its entirety) that he "draws bits of art for The New Yorker," but he's clearly been gone from the world of kids' books for too long. His idiosyncratic style certainly evokes The New Yorker's spare and often silly illustrations, but Turner's gift for composition, ingenious use of color (beige being the book's primary palette), and ample wit (barking being the book's sole dialogue) deserve this more generous treatment.

The story follows a vocal little dog who's desperately trying to alert its owners to a seemingly invisible intruder--a big-bellied guy who just happens to land on the roof in a reindeer-chauffeured sleigh. The brave pup finally does manage to nip off a swatch of the stranger's huge red pants, a magical patch of fabric that's ingeniously included as a real piece of felt on the book's end pages. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for a small dog with a big mouth. Turner's humorously titled debut picture book strings together panels of smallish pencil sketches of a family preparing for bed on Christmas Eve and the hyperactive pooch racing about, providing the book's only text: talk bubbles consisting of "yap," "bark," "woof" and, upon Santa's late-night arrival, "grrrr." A roly-poly St. Nick garbed in traditional red adds a splash to mostly cream-colored pages; in a Wizard of Oz-style flourish, the only fully colored spread is that showing the family on Christmas morning by their tree. All ages.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689841566
• ISBN-13: 978-0689841569
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,051,547 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Charming and Original, But Not For Everyone..........., November 26, 2001

By	Margaret "fugirl" (NYC) - See all my reviews

...............I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this book, but purchased it with the hopes that the originality of its illustrations would be sure to win kids over. The premise is really cute: a little family dog barks his way through each page of this book as he tries to alert them of Santa's arrival on what is supposed to be a "silent night". No one heeds his warnings as he follows Santa around the house as Santa makes his deliveries. Finally the little dog manages to take a chomp out of Santa's red felt outfit, which the family later finds and discards. There is, however, a real piece of red felt on the inside of the back cover, at the story's end, which seems to be there to remind children that there really is a Santa.

I liked the illustrations in this book and I think kids will get a kick out of the fact that each page has little color with the exceptions of Santa's red suit which really stands out. This book, given that it has no words, is only for kids with excellent skill at paying attention. They must follow the images and ideas because there are no words. Also, parents should note that the lack of words mean that they themselves must carry the story by explaining illustrations to the child and possibly asking interactive questions of the child like: "Why do you think the little dog is barking?" and "Why does Santa want the little dog to be quiet?"

Overall, I think this book is great for youngsters ages three to six who have a very good ability to pay attention and focus on a series of images that form a story. Therefore, the book is clearly not for all kids in this age range. Parents must also be willing to take the extra time to explain images and help the child construct the story from the event sequence. Again, this is not for everyone, as not all parents wish to take this approach to storytelling with their children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Eve from the Dog's Point of View, December 5, 2001

By	rocco (Mendham, NJ) - See all my reviews

How many Christmas books and stories are there? Now ask yourself how many are told from the family dog's point of view. And how many Christmas stories can be told without using a word? The illustrator of this book is so clever, he tells a complete, very touching, story of the mysteries and joys of Christmas with only barks, yaps, woofs and yipps! Kids will love this book because it confirms their belief in Santa and all that is magical about Christmas, and they will also love the dog's antics. My seven year old niece loves the book and wants it read to her every night!

3.0 out of 5 stars SANTA FOR GROWNUPS, January 6, 2008

By	tradess2006 "tradess2004" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Bought this book for my little granddaughter, but wrong choices, its more for graphic inspiration than a story.