The Night Before Christmas
The Classic Account of the Visit from St. Nicholas
Publisher Description
First published anonymously in 1823—and later attributed to Clemente C. Moore—The Night Before Christmas is arguably one of the most famous and cherished Christmas poems of all time. Moore’s depiction of St. Nicholas played a significant role in our modern conception of Santa Claus. It is, and always has been, the quintessential holiday tale.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Veering from the convivial, scene-centered graphic interpretation often associated with this classic, W rbs offers a sparer take, narrowing each scene to softly focused images that are more suggestive than representational. The poem's opening lines are accompanied by an image of a lone candle burning in a brass candleholder, and the sleigh's rooftop landing shows two shadowy reindeer heads emerging from behind a foregrounded stone chimney. Santa's visage is something of a mystery at first, his arrival down the chimney represented solely by sooty boot prints, and the top of his cap, surrounded by smoke, rendered alongside the description of his pipe. Building a sense of mystery until near the end, W rbs finally includes one fetching, full-frame portrait of a warmly smiling Santa. A solid choice for those in search of a sophisticated, minimalist artistic vision of Moore's verse. Ages 6 up. (Oct.)
