Author: Retold by Rachel Isadora
Illustrator: Rachel Isadora
Recommended for Ages: All ages
Story: Rachel Isadora's The Night Before Christmas is a delightful and different Christmas book for children. In her Christmas picture book retelling of The Night Before Christmas, just as she did in her retellings of such tales as The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Ugly Duckling and The Princess and the Pea, author and illustrator Rachel Isadora uses an African setting for the poem about a visit from St. Nick.
Isadora's exuberant collages, featuring traditional African colors, clothing and toys are a delight. The artist uses oil paints, printed paper and palette paper to add a distinctive African flavor to the traditional Christmas poem. Rachel Isadora's knowledge of Africa (she lived there for ten years) is reflected on every page as strong patterns and colors brighten the story.
In many families, it's traditional to read aloud The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve. Rachel Isadora's contemporary version gives new energy and life to the poem. For many young children, this edition of The Night Before Christmas may be the only Christmas book they have seen in which all of the characters, including St. Nicholas, are people of color.
For More Editions of The Night Before Christmas: See The Night Before Christmas: A Magical Cut Paper Edition, The Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Mary Engelbreit, and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Matt Tavares.
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: The Penguin Group
ISBN: 9780399254086
