The Horn Book Guide

LITERATURE

Moore, Clement C.

The Night Before Christmas

32 pp. | Scholastic/Orchard | October, 2015 | Trade ISBN 978-0-545-39112-2 $16.99

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Ercolini. In this laugh-out-loud version of Moore's poem, the text is unchanged, but Ercolini's deadpan acrylic illustrations scream modern-day America. Here, the house in which "not a creature was stirring" is the most over-decorated one in the neighborhood--or possibly the world. Myriad details invite repeated readings, and the subplot involving the resident dog, cat, and (yes) mouse adds even more goofy charm.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015