The Night Before Christmas — Virginia Duncan

In 1822 Clement Clarke Moore wrote The Night before Christmas for his own children. Now, of course, his poem is read aloud to children around the world who are anticipating Santa's arrival.

This Christmas Eve tradition calls for the treat of Julie Downing's wondrous visual rendition. Her jewel-toned watercolors, vibrant with rich Victorian detail, contain little surprises all along the way. Both children and grown-ups will respond to the luminous images -- the waiting tree, the astonished narrator, jolly Santa and his reindeer, and even the mouse -- as they discover the sparkling humor of a holiday favorite.