'Twas the Night Before Christmas (by Clement Clarke Moore)

The text is the treasured poem by Clement Clarke Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” On Christmas Eve, as a family settles down to sleep, the father hears a noise outside and spies Santa’s sleigh in the sky. Moore’s description of the wordless encounter between the father and Santa by the Christmas tree has become an enduring portrait of Santa Claus.

“A Visit from St. Nicholas” has been reproduced in a great many forms since it was first published in 1823. Here, it is packaged with what the publishers call AniMotion technology: Many of the pages feature a full-color image that appears to move beneath a black-striped layer of acetate. The technique is reminiscent of a zoetrope. As readers turn the pages, stars twinkle, a cat startles, Santa’s belly ripples with laughter.
It’s a fun idea, but it just doesn’t work well here. The animations are dark and hard to see, and the static images are rather ho-ho-hum. The novelty -- and appeal -- is short-lived.

The static illustrations are pleasant enough, but the moving images are difficult to see.

Author: Clement Clarke Moore
Illustrator: Jon Goodell
Publisher: Accord Publishing
Publication date: September 15, 2009
Number of pages: 26
Hardcover price: $17.99
Read Aloud: 4
Read Alone: 7