School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Moore's beloved Christmas poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" receives new treatment from illustrator Caparo. The house is quiet and everyone sound asleep when the father of the family wakes to a commotion and runs to investigate. Lo and behold, St. Nick and his retinue of reindeer are on the roof. Santa pops down the chimney, stuffs stockings as he puffs on a pipe, and exits via chimney as quickly as he arrived, exclaiming, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Caparo's digital paintings capture the nighttime stillness of the house in plums and yellows; the winter landscape is rendered in icy blues and swirling snow. The action is driven by the father, agape with wonder, his bright-eyed Jack Russell terrier, and Santa, of course. St. Nick's arrival with Blitzen et al. is the dramatic highlight, and Santa's footwear gets an update with jaunty red high-tops. This is a solid, though not particularly inventive take, on a Christmas classic that has been reinterpreted ad infinitum. Young readers will appreciate the lush illustrations and Santa's cheeky jollity. VERDICT An additional purchase for libraries in need of fresh holiday content.-Shanna Kim, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A father rabbit awakens on the night before Christmas and meets towering polar bear St. Nick in this enthralling, animal-centered retelling of Clement C. Moore's beloved Christmas poem. Richardson carefully swaps in details befitting the animal stand-ins, maintaining the original's jaunty rhyme scheme and most of its original verse: "His eyes how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!/ His nose was all wet and his cheeks were all hairy." Dunn's intricate spreads present fantastical, near-photorealistic characters against lush snowy landscapes, amplified with adroit employment of chiaroscuro. This adaptation will serve well as a cozy wintertime read for animal lovers, and as a lovely option for anyone seeking a slight revision of the traditional. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)
