On Christmas Eve (and the day before our countdown wraps up), what book could possibly be more fitting than an illustrated rendition of Clement Moore's classic poem? And while there are many wonderful versions of this poem as a picture book, I was once again drawn to Jan Brett's detailed and cheery illustrations in The Night Before Christmas.

This celebration of Santa's middle-of-the-night visit begins in a subdued manner but quickly becomes quite jubilant in its depictions of Christmas candy, tree ornaments, happy elves, abundant presents, rambunctious reindeer, and of course Saint Nick himself. With Christmas reds and dark blue sky standing out against winter whites, children are sure to appreciate all these visuals when perparing for a fitful night's sleep before Christmas!

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Clement Moore
Illustrator: Jan Brett
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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"Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen..."

And that's about all I could have recited of this song, except a mention of "Saint Agnes' fountain," and several archaic terms like "thither" and "hence." Though I had heard it sung before, I'd never actually looked up the lyrics until now. Fortunately, this picture book version of Good King Wenceslas has helped to give me a much fuller image of what the song is about.

The text is simply the words to the song, with wintery illustrations telling the story of the king who looked out and saw a peasant gathering wood for fuel, and decided to bring him food and wine to bless his family on that cold winter night (I can appreciate that this book changes the original word "flesh" to "food" to avoid any confusion).

While there is no specific mention of "Christmas" in this song, the image of a king leaving his safe and warm castle to help someone in need is extremely reminiscent of the Christmas story. Although I've never celebrated Saint Stephen's Day, it is observed on December 26 (27 for some) by Christians around the world, and therefore I found this song, as well as its admonition to "bless the poor" very fitting for a celebration of Christmas.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: John Mason Neale
Illustrator: Jamichael Henterly
Pages: 24
Content Advisory: None

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Recently I was introduced to Elly MacKay's illustrations via Red Sky at Night (review here), and was captivated by her unique images, full of texture and light. So I was pretty excited to see that she has a Christmas book available too.

Waltz of the Snowflakes is the wordless story of a girl whose grandmother invites her out to see a ballet. The girl is not all that inerested -- she has to wear a fancy dress and go out in the rain, and doesn't seem to be enjoying herself. But as the Nutcracker story begins, she becomes more and more engaged and awed by the beautiful dances and scenes unfolding on the stage -- she even catches a snowflake during that lovely waltz (my personal favorite of all the Nutcracker pieces).

By the end of the story, she is waltzing her way home -- quite a contrast to the beginning! For those of us who have loved The Nutcracker from a young age, this story evokes all kinds of nostalgia, and celebrates a beautiful, iconic Christmas tradition.

Format: Hardcover
Author/illustrator: Elly MacKay
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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Set during the Depression Era, The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll is the story of three sisters who long for a particular baby doll, and are surprised when their parents get them one since there is not much money to spare. Young Nella declares that since she wrote to Santa and believed and wanted the doll the most, she should have her. But she soon finds out that having one toy all to yourself is not really as fun as it seems -- that toys are much better when shared.

Not only is this a sweet Christmas story (as well as an appropriate after-Christmas story for children on how to deal with those new toys), it's also a nostalgic reminder for those of us adults who experienced Christmas with siblings (especially sisters), showing both the trials and joys of growing up together. 

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Patricia McKissack
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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The Christmas Wish is an adorable book. While the vast marjority of the narrative has to do with a little girl named Anja (pronounced "ON-ya") making an epic journey across vast snowscapes to the North Pole, there is still plenty of Christmas cheer here, including Anja finally meeting up with Santa Claus at the end and helping to drive his sleigh.

This book is illustrated with photographs, which include some very realistic-looking images of Anja riding a horse, skiiing behind a reindeer, and curling up for a nap with a polar bear. This is a lovely little Christmas fantasy that portrays kindness and bravery, wrapped up in a bow of cuteness and beautiful Scandinavian landscapes.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Lori Evert
Ilustrator: Per Breiehagen
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None

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