Review by Booklist Review
Long illustrates this familiar carol with a series of beautifully composed, richly colored oil paintings. The double-page pictures celebrate the natural world through abundant plant and animal forms. Beginning with the eighth day, elaborately costumed people and angels appear as well. Each turn of the page reveals a new scene illustrating a verse of the song. Along with the gifts mentioned in that verse, the increasingly elaborate paintings hold surprises: pictures of objects mentioned in previous verses are hidden here and there for children to find. Musical notes and lyrics are appended, along with an artist's note. A helpful visual key to the hidden gifts is provided, but since it's printed on the inside of the jacket, libraries will be challenged to come up with ways to make it accessible. Puzzle-minded children will definitely want to check the key, as without it, they may miss some of the subtler hidden forms. An accomplished visual interpretation with a playful element for children to enjoy.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a book that's part elegant tapestry, part seek-and-find game, Long (The Magic Nesting Doll) expertly weaves religious and secular images into a visually arresting interpretation of the traditional carol. A princess-maiden who wends her way through a lush, mystical forest toward a castle is but one of the story lines eagle-eyed readers can follow as they pore over the intricate, delicately framed oil paintings; gifts from earlier scenes reappear and accumulate throughout, resulting in French hens tucked among poinsettias and milkmaids transformed into foliage. Iconic angels, knights leaping on horseback, and ladies in luxurious, shimmering gowns are among the memorable scene-stealers. Ages 3-5. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 5-Every Christmas new versions of this song are published, and this is a rare one that truly stands out. As readers move through the various gifts, they are given the opportunity to search for the previous gifts concealed in the art. For example, on the third day of Christmas, readers see three handsome French hens nesting near a Christmas tree amid mistletoe, pinecones, and roses, and also on the spread are tiny images of two turtle doves and a partridge. The inside of the book jacket contains the key to the hidden images. The musical score and an artist's note about the history of the song are included. Long's lyrical and lush oil paintings, reminiscent of Russian icon art, combined with a tricky interactive element, make this version of the traditional carol special.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Ornate illustrations in a lush, romantic style follow the traditional wording of the old song, with all the accumulating gifts hidden within each succeeding illustration.This version has a dreamy, fairy-tale sensibility, though Long does not provide a clear visual narrative to accompany all the verses of the song. There is a mysterious woman in red in the background of several illustrations, angels serving as pipers and nine ladies dancing who look like they stepped out of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." The 10 lords a-leaping are knights in armor riding off to battle, with the lady in red again hurrying away in the distance. All the gifts (in the correct numbers) are hidden in each following illustration, tucked into borders, shadows, flowers and costumes, often in tiny or faint formats that are difficult even for an adult to locate. The solution key to the hidden gifts is printed in thumbnail sketches on the back of the book's paper cover, which limits this volume's usefulness in library settings. The final two-page spread shows all the gifts integrated into a complex outdoor scene.The intricate illustrations demonstrate the artist's considerable skills, but the total effort is a fragmented conglomeration that fails to create a story for the song. To see what really can be done with the song, read Jane Ray's exquisite version (2011). (artist's note, musical notation)(Picture book. 5-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
