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Chet Williamson
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Pennsylvania Dutch Night Before Christmas (The Night Before Christmas Series) Audio Cassette – Audiobook, August 30, 2000

by Chet Williamson (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 83 ratings
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The Pennsylvania Dutch dialect and the antics of the crotchety Belsnickel will make this a Christmas tale to enjoy. Boxed Running time: 24 min.

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  1. Reading age
    5 - 8 years
  2. Language
    English
  3. Grade level
    Kindergarten - 3
  4. Dimensions
    4.5 x 0.75 x 7 inches
  5. Publisher
    Pelican Publishing
  6. Publication date
    August 30, 2000
  7. ISBN-10
    1565548396
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1565548398
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pelican Publishing (August 30, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1565548396
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1565548398
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 5 - 8 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.59 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.5 x 0.75 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 83 ratings

About the author

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Chet Williamson

Chet Williamson

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Chet Williamson is the author of over twenty books, the latest of which is PSYCHO: SANITARIUM (due April 12th from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press). Among his other published books are The Night Listener & Others, A Little Blue Book of Bibliomancy, Defenders of the Faith, Hunters, Second Chance, Ash Wednesday, Soulstorm, Lowland Rider, McKain's Dilemma, Murder in Cormyr, Mordenheim, Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller, Reign, The Crow: Clash By Night, and the paranormal suspense series, The Searchers, which includes City of Iron, Empire of Dust and Siege of Stone. He has also written two children's books, Pennsylvania Dutch Night before Christmas and Pennsylvania Dutch Alphabet.

His books have been translated and published in many languages and countries, including France, Germany, Russia, Italy, and Japan, as well as British editions of several of his novels.

Over a hundred of his short stories have appeared in such magazines as The New Yorker, Playboy, Esquire, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and many other magazines and anthologies. Figures in Rain, a collection of his short stories, received the International Horror Guild Award for Outstanding Collection. He has twice been a final nominee for the World Fantasy Award, the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, and a six-time nominee for the Horror Writers Association's Stoker Award. His work has also been adapted for television, radio, and recorded books. His New Yorker short story, "Gandhi at the Bat," was recently made into a short film and has been shown in festivals worldwide.

Chet is also a stage and film actor, and a member of Actors Equity. He has narrated over 40 audiobooks, including the forthcoming PSYCHO: SANITARIUM.

His website is http://www.chetwilliamson.com

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
83 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book funny, hilarious, and entertaining. They also appreciate the accent and phonetic presentation.

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HumorAccent
6 customers mention "Humor"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book wonderful, hilarious, and entertaining.

"A wonderfuly funny book. I purchased this for my father(who is PA dutch and can speak the language)as a Xmas gift...." Read more

"...Great parody on a well known story with a German farm twist! Bought it for the first grandchild of a dear friend (and fellow PA Dutch Girl)!..." Read more

"...The story itself is hilarious to anyone who's grown up in central PA's small PA Dutch towns...." Read more

"So cute and entertaining. My daughter grew up in eastern PA and has now moved to Texas with her family...." Read more

3 customers mention "Accent"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the accent perfectly done. They also appreciate the phonetic presentation.

"...She can do the accent perfectly, sounding just like Mammy(my late great grandmother)...." Read more

"...Mr. Williamson manages to capture the Dutchy accent well (and offers even more precise notes on pronunciation in the back of the book), including..." Read more

"...we received from reading this book on Christmas eve, with its phonetic presentation, was the BEST!!! Thank you!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Dwight P. Minnich
5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased with purchase.
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2023
Verified Purchase
Wonderful book, very happy I have it.
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Kel
5.0 out of 5 stars holds on to my heritage/brings back memmories of my mammy
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
A wonderfuly funny book. I purchased this for my father(who is PA dutch and can speak the language)as a Xmas gift. My mother read it to friends on New Years, and was a big hit. She can do the accent perfectly, sounding just like Mammy(my late great grandmother). This book brought back fond memmories of Sundays in Hebe from when I was very little. A large Sunday dinner spread shared with family and any cousins who dropped by, most of all who spoke PA Dutch or Dutchified English. To this day my teenage daughters and I still use many Pa Dutch words in our daily lives. These are some of the little things that bring smiles to all of us. Somehow it helps preserve our heritage. I also purchased copies of the coloring book by the same title for my daughters. They laughed so hard and colored in the book like 3 years olds then tucked them into their keepsake box. Even if you know nothing about the PA Dutch, this book is a hilarious read.
3 people found this helpful
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Greg K.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Family Favorite
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2016
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Having grown up in Pennsylvania Dutch Country and coming from a long line of Pennsylvania Germans, this book was an instant hit with the family when it was first published and has since become a family tradition. Every Christmas, one of the K. uncles, aunts, or cousins will take a turn reading it aloud, with varying success in imitating our more Dutchy forebears. Mr. Williamson manages to capture the Dutchy accent well (and offers even more precise notes on pronunciation in the back of the book), including some of the more idiosyncratic grammatical structures left over from German, and he fluently weaves great Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch vocabulary into the narrative. An absolutely delightful book, I highly recommend it to anyone with any Pennsylvania German heritage or even just interest.
3 people found this helpful
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Rem'sMom
5.0 out of 5 stars Pennsylvania Christmas Classic!
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
Coming from a Pennsylvania Dutch family, this is a go to read for our holidays. Great parody on a well known story with a German farm twist! Bought it for the first grandchild of a dear friend (and fellow PA Dutch Girl)! Well packaged by the seller and arrived quickly!
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salemwitch
5.0 out of 5 stars ACH! It Vas Sooo-ooo Funny!
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2014
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This take-off of the original, Twas the Night Before Christmas is a "tongue in cheek" story that must be read with a Pa Dutch accent to really enjoy the unique ambiance. I did just that and chuckled inside with each page turning. I look forward to sharing it with my granddaughter (aged 7) next holiday time, along with giving her the Byer's Caroler of Belsnickel. This book is a wonderful way to expose the next generation to lore of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
One person found this helpful
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Alaska Kate
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone who collects Christmas story books
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2013
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Hilarious retelling of The Night Before Christmas using Pennsylvania Dutch dialect and illustrations. This is an unrealistic view of how the Amish celebrate Christmas of course but I was introduced to the book by my uncle and aunt in law who were raised in Amish families though they did not join the church. He read the book to me using his "Dutch" dialect and I knew I had to own it. I highly recommend it to anyone who collects Christmas books.
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Stanley Cup
4.0 out of 5 stars A great holiday tradition
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2008
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I came across this book when I was doing another search for Christmas books and ended up it buying for my children because I grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch country. It is a great book and we read it every year during the Christmas season, as well as right before we read "The Night Before Christmas" (Mary Engelbrit has the BEST book for that) on Christmas Eve. I was surprised to learn a few PA Dutch words that I had never heard before, and it is a great way to share a piece of my heritage with my kids, since I no longer live in that area of the country and they are not exposed to it. The only negative I have about the book, and the reason I did not give it a 5 star rating, is because I found the verse to be cumbersome to read at times, and it ruined the flow of the story a bit. But, it is true to the dialect of the PA Dutch, and it is a great way to share old traditions with your children.
3 people found this helpful
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M. McNalis
5.0 out of 5 stars Helping keep a dying culture alive!
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2009
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I grew up in PA Dutch country, I still live there and this book really brought back a lot of memories! It reminded me of my grandparents and their friends who would speak PA Dutch around the dining room table on a Sunday afternoon. The story itself is hilarious to anyone who's grown up in central PA's small PA Dutch towns. Would greatly recommend to anyone who wants to teach their children a bit of their heritage; and even for a few laughs!
2 people found this helpful
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