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cover image The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

Clement C. Moore, illus. by Kai Würbs. Arctis, $17.95 (48p) ISBN 978-1-64690-005-3

Veering from the convivial, scene-centered graphic interpretation often associated with this classic, Würbs offers a sparer take, narrowing each scene to softly focused images that are more suggestive than representational. The poem’s opening lines are accompanied by an image of a lone candle burning in a brass candleholder, and the sleigh’s rooftop landing shows two shadowy reindeer heads emerging from behind a foregrounded stone chimney. Santa’s visage is something of a mystery at first, his arrival down the chimney represented solely by sooty boot prints, and the top of his cap, surrounded by smoke, rendered alongside the description of his pipe. Building a sense of mystery until near the end, Würbs finally includes one fetching, full-frame portrait of a warmly smiling Santa. A solid choice for those in search of a sophisticated, minimalist artistic vision of Moore’s verse. Ages 6–up. (Oct.)
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Reviewed on: 09/16/2020

Genre: Children's

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