White Christmas: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids

by Irving Berlin, Michael Hague (Illustrator)

Overview

One of the most well known holiday songs of all time, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" depicts the dream of a perfect Christmas—one filled with snow. And in the hands of fantasy artist Michael Hague, it's also filled with snow fairies, reindeer, woodland creatures, sleigh rides, Santa Claus, and more. As you turn the pages and read the lyrics, you'll be swept away into a magical Christmas fairyland that is sure to make your holiday merry and bright.

The classic Yuletide ballad that has been spreading Christmas spirit since the 1940s is made new again in this enchanting holiday picture book with illustrations as fresh and beautiful as a winter snowfall.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060291235
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/28/2010
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Irving Berlin (1888-1989) was one of the most prolific American songwriters in history. Among his more than twelve hundred songs were "God Bless America," "Cheek to Cheek," "Anything You Can Do," "There's No Business Like Show Business," and, of course, "White Christmas." He also composed seventeen film scores and twenty-one Broadway scores. The songs of Irving Berlin have left an indelible mark on music and culture worldwide.

Michael Hague has illustrated more than thirty children's classics, including memorable editions of The Wizard of Oz, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Wind in the Willows, and The Secret Garden. He is also the artist of several bestselling books by his wife, Kathleen, including Alphabears, Numbears, and Ten Little Bears. The father of three grown children and the grandfather of four, Michael has a ready audience for all of his work.

Editorial Reviews

Hague's distinctive and beguiling interpretation of Berlin's beloved song eschews Coca-Cola Santas, gingerbread men, and modern kiddies for a Nordic fairy tale wonderland of elves, sprites, and shaggy goats and polar bears. A 20-something woman shakes a snow globe, awakening a world within: rainbows arch over frozen waterfalls, Lokiesque tricksters pop up, a Father Christmas–style Santa makes the rounds, and icicles hang from every surface. Includes sheet music for fireside sing-alongs. All ages. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Irving Berlin's famous holiday song from the 1940s forms the text for this dreamlike interpretation. The cover illustration shows a huge snow globe filled with fantasy characters: Santa, elves, reindeer, a polar bear and a mysterious snow monster. As the words to the song unfold, these characters interact with fairies and animals in snowy landscapes that appear to be the world within the snow globe. There is virtually no connection between the words of the song and what is happening on the page, as in a dream when things don't quite make sense. Hague's characters have an old-fashioned appeal, but some look depressed or unhappy, and there are a couple of ice monsters that are downright scary. This isn't a Christmas celebration "just like the ones I used to know." (music included) (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

K Up—Libraries do not need this disappointing excuse for an illustrated song book. The lyrics of the Berlin standard are illustrated with poor-quality Hague fairies in winter scenes that seem designed for the art resale market. The images are blurry and while skillfully done as one would expect, aggressively commercial and lacking in character. Plus, the paintings do not correspond to the text unless the Beverly Hills matron introduced in the opening verse used to live at the North Pole.—Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal