La Noche Before Three Kings Day

by Sheila Colón-Bagley, Alejandro Mesa (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspired by Clement Clarke Moore’s "The Night Before Christmas," La Noche Before Three Kings Day is a perfect holiday tale.  

It’s almost Three Kings Day, and while the grownups prepare a large meal, the kids prepare their shoe boxes for los Reyes to arrive later that night. Will they stay up late enough to wish the Kings a Feliz Día de los Reyes? Or will the magic pass them by?

Sing along with a great big familia as they fill up their platos, play their favorite juegos, and wait for the three kings and regalitos to arrive.  

This enchanting celebration of a beloved holiday is brought to life through lively rhyming dual-lingual text by Sheila Colón-Bagley with festive illustrations from Alejandro Mesa. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063234321
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,031,494
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sheila Colón-Bagley is a stay-at-home mother of three. As a Puerto Rico native, she’s long dreamed of writing books featuring multicultural characters that children of all backgrounds would love—for her multicultural daughters, and kids like them—to have books about families who look and live like they do. She’s also a member of the SCBWI, was awarded a Spring 2020 Las Musas mentorship, and was a volunteer on the first-ever virtual Latinx Kidlit Book Festival in December 2020. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Temple University and practiced public relations for over twenty-five years before becoming an author. She lives outside of Charlotte, NC, with her family, and their dog, Vader.

Alejandro Mesa was born in Soatá, a little town in Colombia. He is an illustrator of children’s books. Alejandro has also been a character designer for animation in the Netflix series Legend Quest. He works from his small but cozy studio in Bogotá, Colombia, where he lives with his wife and their Frenchie, Flora.

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

It’s “la noche before Three Kings Day and all through the casa, everyone was stirring” in this festive “A Visit from St. Nicholas” iteration focused on a Latinx-cued family, portrayed with various skin tones. In Colón-Bagley’s rhyming Spanish-studded English lines, the child narrator wraps shoeboxes in anticipation of the visit, enjoys “scrumptious comida” and “jolly good fun,” and places their wrapped boxes beside the front door. Peeking from the window after bedtime, the protagonist spies the arrival via camel of kings Balthazar, Melchior, and Gaspar, whose glitter and panache shine right off the page as they distribute gifts to the wrapped boxes. Warm illustrations by Mesa honor family connection, food, and the fancifully portrayed kings in a domestic tale that evokes the holiday’s wonder. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Full of warmth and good cheer.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This title adds a vision of Latinx joy and ­festivity to ­collections.”  — School Library Journal

“Warm illustrations by Mesa honor family connection, food, and the fancifully portrayed kings in a domestic tale that evokes the holiday’s wonder.”  — Publishers Weekly

"This inviting picture book celebrates Puerto Rican culture in Mesa's beautiful, whimsical illustrations.” — Booklist

"Cheerful...whimsical" — Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

09/01/2023

K-Gr 3—Told in the same iambic rhyme scheme as Clement C. Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," this text takes readers through a family's Three Kings traditions, including decorating shoeboxes, cooking up a feast, celebrating with music, and bonding with family. The evening routine includes Mom reading to the children before tucking them in, then young readers are introduced to the Three Kings: Balthazar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Clever illustration hangs the Star of Bethlehem over the family's home, and when the Three Kings get on their camels and fly away, it is that star that continues to guide them. Text alternates between Spanish and English. Rich illustrations allow readers to play I Spy, affording the chance for reflection of their own holiday traditions or a window to view other's traditions. The illustrations provide frequent visual cues to allow readers to understand that this holiday is closely connected to Christmas: lights, reindeer, trees, garland, and wrapping paper occupy the pages. Since food frequently bridges cultures, look to the tostones, flans, and pollo guisado to engage young readers. Gendered tasks are dismantled, as dad walks the dog and does the dishes. One page shows Selena and the Puerto Rican flag, both of which open up this cultural tradition to a wide Latinx audience. The book ends with a glossary and pronunciation key so that readers are exposed to multilingualism. VERDICT This title adds a vision of Latinx joy and festivity to collections.—Stephanie Creamer

School Library Journal

2023-08-15
In this tale modeled after “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” a family celebrates Three Kings Day.

Two sisters have a festive night as their family puts on a small party to observe the January 6 holiday observed in many regions, including Puerto Rico, where the author’s family is from. The day honors the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus, and in this homage to Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, they take the place of Santa Claus at the story’s conclusion. After the sisters decorate shoeboxes to hold gifts from the visitors, music is played and food is served (“In the small comedor was my great big familia / boquitas wide open for our scrumptious comida”). When the Three Wise Men do appear, one of the sisters witnesses the gift drop, which includes dolls, candy, and money. Spanish is sprinkled throughout (“There down en la calle I saw quite a sight”); a glossary at the end defines the words. Cozy, stylized cartoon illustrations bring to life a loving brown-skinned extended family, full of warmth and good cheer. The story itself and the backmatter explain the holiday well for those unfamiliar with it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fine offshoot of a holiday classic. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews