Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore gains a richly illustrated new edition by Lynch, featuring a slumbering white family in atmospheric, angle-varying spreads. Detail-rich classical art, rendered in watercolor and gouache, maintains muted tones; meanwhile, Lynch offers a gently entertaining seek-and-find element, including visuals such as a sleeping cat among the furniture, and several breathless spreads convey a sense of wonder ideal for the season. As Santa himself, portrayed with light skin, approaches, the intricately rendered sets brighten at his presence, highlighted by a buttery glow. Leaving Moore's text untouched, the book doesn't add anything novel to the poem's shelf of picture book renderings, but for traditionalists seeking a timeless option--particularly to present to first-time readers--Lynch's dreamy illustrations of the Christmas classic will surely gratify. Ages 3--7. (Sept.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr2--While every holiday season births myriad renditions of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, readers are in for a treat with Lynch's contribution to Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" canon. The text is faithful to the original poem, following the patriarch of a small family as he witnesses Santa delivering gifts in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Lynch's supple watercolor and gouache illustrations are perfect for the tale's snowy, northern setting. The illustrator plays extensively with color and perspective, creating dramatic and intriguing compositions. A light haze hangs over the pages, providing a visual chill, and small details invite readers in for a closer look. Each page is thoughtfully and artfully arranged. While there's nothing particularly new in the content, the presentation is certainly fantastic. The humans (and humanoid toys) are depicted as white and rosy-pink with the cold. VERDICT Perhaps not new, but certainly beautiful. A worthy addition to holiday shelves.--Taylor Worley, Springfield P.L., OR
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The classic Christmas poem is set to old-fashioned illustrations. A snow-covered village in tones of blue, with snow still falling, warm yellow lights glowing, and smoke drifting from brick chimneys, centers a snowman smiling up to the sky, where a reindeer's antler pokes onto the page. Each spread illustrates a set of rhyming verses set against a white background: the mice sleeping, the stockings hung by the chimney, the children and mamma, all White, asleep in bed. When "out on the lawn / there arose such a clatter," a person in a nightcap runs to the window, then gapes out at the magical reindeer-led sleigh several houses away, lit with small dots of yellow in the blue-toned snowy night. A close-up of the reindeer in midair and an active Santa (also White) driving them gives way to a bird's-eye view of the reindeer landing on the rooftop of the narrator's brick residence. For four spreads, St. Nicholas is in the house, stuffing stockings, smoking his pipe, and winking at the narrator. As he flies off with a trail of golden sparkling light, his call of "Happy Christmas to all, / and to all a good night!" is set in large italic type, and the narrator stands outside with a candle, waving. For those who love the poem's old-fashioned feeling, these illustrations perfectly match the magical, nostalgic tone of the text. Those who never tire of the iconic text will delight in this classy interpretation. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
