The Night Before Christmas

September 15, 2014
Never mind that shelves are jammed with versions of this classic: make room for Reid’s (Picture a Tree) innovative interpretation, distinguished by her trademark Plasticine artwork and a generous supply of humor. Reid turns Moore’s verse on its head, revealing a mouse who is very much stirring—it stares out at readers in alarm, caught in the act of sneaking a cookie from a bowl. This isn’t the only mouse awake, either: its siblings are scrambling to hang their stockings by the fireplace. The discrepancy between the familiar words and fresh visuals provides ample humor as the mice resist bedtime, rather than nestling “all snug in their beds.” Tableaux-style scenes let readers view antics on both stories of the mice’s log house, and Reid’s artistry results in detailed scenarios with uncommon dimension and texture. Ages 4–7.

Starred review from September 26, 2011
Santore has illustrated many classic stories, including Snow White, The Wizard of Oz, and The Little Mermaid, and he now brings to life Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in characteristically elegant and detail-rich paintings. His is a very traditional vision, as he brings readers inside a stately colonial home, tastefully appointed with wreaths, garlands, and stockings. In a particularly nice bit of design, when the narrator “Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash,” readers can do the same, opening a double-page gatefold that reveals a quiet village blanketed by snow—and a sleigh silhouetted against the moon. It’s a gorgeous interpretation of a beloved holiday classic. All ages.

September 4, 2017
Caparo follows Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Rudolph Shines Again with a handsome interpretation of Moore’s classic holiday poem that brings it into the present day. In an urban neighborhood of townhouses, it’s a scruffy-haired young dad in a cardigan who leaps out of bed and, after putting on dark-framed eyeglasses, spots Santa soaring overhead. The text of the poem is unchanged, which means that Caparo supplies this Santa with a pipe to smoke (he also gives him a pair of red, Converse-style high tops in lieu of boots). Along with the contemporary details Caparo brings to this retelling, the antics of the family’s pets (and a pair of mice) add to the fun. The modern family that features in Caparo’s sumptuous, lifelike images may help some readers connect to the sometimes-remote language of the original—he successfully gives this poem a fresh and stylish spin while reaffirming its timelessness. Ages 4–7.

Starred review from September 21, 2020
In detailed art rendered in acrylic paint and colored pencil, Long adds an intriguing dimension to Clement C. Moore’s poem, visiting four families in different locales: a snow-covered farmhouse, a mobile home, a city apartment, and a tile-roofed house framed by palm trees. The artist’s introductory note explains that he took “visual clues directly from the famous text” and renders “a little old driver” and other components on a diminutive scale, to winsome effect (in one scene, Santa’s not much bigger than a group of household kitties). Readers see a diverse quartet of families asleep in their beds on Christmas Eve and view Santa soaring through the sky to deliver presents to each abode. The eclectic architecture, décor, holiday decorations, family configurations, and pet menageries shape a welcoming and inclusive portrait of Christmas Eve peace, wonder, and anticipation. Ages 4–8.

September 21, 2020
Veering from the convivial, scene-centered graphic interpretation often associated with this classic, Würbs 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, Würbs 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.

Starred review from October 18, 2010
Puybaret (Puff, the Magic Dragon) infuses Moore's classic poem with whimsical details: the family's warm house is filled with folk art–style decorations and twinkling fairies, as a gnomelike Santa unloads his gifts, then prepares to rise up the chimney. The full-bleed artwork, layered shapes, and vibrant palette (Santa's coat shines against a glacier blue sky and green sleigh) make the paintings appear almost three-dimensional. An accompanying CD includes recordings by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Ages 5–8.

September 1, 2014
Reid turns her Plasticine talents to an interpretation of the classic poem. Taking her cue from "not even a mouse," she focuses her visual narrative on a mouse family that inhabits a cozy, snow-covered log. Though the busyness of its inhabitants betrays that many creatures are actually stirring, readers are likely to forgive this artistic license. They will be too busy poring over the detail-filled spreads to carp. A harassed mouse parent has a swaddled babe under one arm and vainly tries to keep another from playing with the Christmas stockings with the other. Far from being "nestled / all snug in their beds," these mouselings are raising a rumpus, climbing about on their bunk beds and tossing sugarplums at one another. Santa's approach is spectacular, pairs of Plasticine reindeer increasing in size to accentuate perspective as they pull a tiny mouse Santa aloft while a fox looks up from below. The jovial Santa is appropriately round, though he has just a faint hint of white chin whiskers. Apparently oblivious to the onlooking mouse family, he stuffs the stockings before departing-as the mouse children scamper back into bed to avoid being caught out by mama and papa. The lively mischief will carry children past the narrative inconsistencies in this fun-filled romp. (Picture book. 3-5)

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October 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-In this take on the classic poem, mice are not only stirring, they make up all the characters-from the narrator, a patriarch of a large, rambunctious family, to St. Nicholas himself. With her signature Plasticine illustrations that give off a textured claymation effect, Reid also deviates from the quiet Christmas Eve approach of past versions. As expected from a litter of eight plus two infant mice, there is a underlying sense of activity and energy. For example, the visions of sugarplums dancing over the children's heads are actual fruit being tossed from one top bunk to another, and no one really sleeps until St. Nicholas has done his job. Children will relate to this sense of holiday excitement and anticipation.-Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2014
Preschool-G In this distinctive picture-book version of Moore's A Visit from St. Nicholas, the poem may be traditional, but the interpretation is lively and amusing. The story begins visually on the title page, where several boisterous little mice frolic with outsize stockings before hanging them above the fireplace. As the pages are turned, the charming setting is revealed: the mouse family's inventively furnished home, which is snow-covered outside but warm and cozy indoors. An accomplished artist in Plasticine modeling clay, Reid creates a series of playful illustrations that are richly colored and nicely composed. Observant children will enjoy finding the many intriguing details within the pictures. First published in Canada, this is an imaginative, childlike interpretation of a holiday favorite.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)