Twas the Night Before Christmas: Or Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas

by Clement C. Moore, Matt Tavares (Illustrator)

Overview

Exquisitely detailed drawings by Matt Tavares embody the spirit of a magical night now in a lavish, full-size gift edition marking the two-hundredth anniversary of the classic poem.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Once upon a time, children imagined St. Nicholas as a stern, skinny bishop who was as likely to dole out discipline as Christmas presents. But thanks to the poem “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas”—written by Clement C. Moore in 1822 and published the next year in the Troy Sentinel—a plumper, merrier St. Nick was born, transformed into the sleigh-riding, chimney-diving jolly old elf we now call Santa Claus. With gorgeous monochrome illustrations by Matt Tavares that are meticulously true to pre-Victorian times, this reissue of the holiday favorite ’Twas the Night Before Christmas Or Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas honors the poem’s original language in a definitive keepsake volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536217995
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/13/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	185,861
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 11.40(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of numerous acclaimed picture books, including Red and Lulu and Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever, as well as Becoming Babe Ruth, Growing Up Pedro, and other sports biographies. He is the illustrator of Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottesfeld and The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, among many other picture books. Matt Tavares lives in Maine.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2022

PreS-Gr 3—A Christmas classic revisited with stunning monochrome illustrations, from the author/illustrator of Dasher, another seasonal favorite. An illustrator's note describes the story's origin and explains that this version will include the original's grammar, punctuation, and spelling; readers will also notice differences in the names of the reindeer. The familiar tale features pencil drawings that effectively create the atmosphere, anticipation, and excitement of the holiday season. Striking, snow-covered spreads depict Christmas celebrated inside of a Victorian-era home, a fitting match for the text. Red borders adorn the pages with text, adding an eye-catching pop of color on each spread. The family portrayed in this adaptation presents white. VERDICT A comforting and pleasant addition to holiday collections.—Olivia Gorecke

School Library Journal

Two paper-over-board editions will be welcomed by fans of the originals. Now in a smaller, gifty trim size, Matt Tavares's interpretation of Moore's poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas retains its magic. PW wrote of the original, "Stark yet lushly textured pencil drawings capture the mystery, surprise and anticipation of what many children consider the most magical night of the year." Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly