The Twelve Days of Christmas

by Gennady Spirin, Gennady Spirin (Illustrator)

Overview

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is sung in churches, houses, and concert halls throughout the Christmas season. It would be hard to imagine a Christmas celebration without it. From the partridge in the pear tree to the five golden rings to the twelve drummers drumming, carolers enjoy taking turns singing different verses.

Gennady Spirin’s sumptuous paintings bring new life and spectacular beauty to this classic song, making it a gift to be treasured at Christmastime. An Illustrator’s Note is included which addresses the song’s origin and history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542008228
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	01/28/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Internationally acclaimed artist Gennady Spirin was born on Christmas Day in a small town near Moscow in the former Soviet Union. He was classically educated at the Moscow Art School at the Academy of Arts and at the Moscow Stroganov Institute. He has received five gold medals from the Society of Illustrators in New York City, the Golden Apple from the Bratislava International Biennial, and first prize at both the Bologna and Barcelona International Book Fairs. His work has appeared four separate times on the annual New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year list. The artist lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with his wife, Raisa, and their three sons, Ilya, Gennady, and Andre.

Editorial Reviews

Spirin's opulent illustrations perfectly suit the French hens, milking maids and golden rings.
—The New York Times

Julie Just

Delicate, ornamental images in colored pencil and watercolors, set in egg-shaped frames, accompany the lyrics to the holiday carol. The scenes are cumulative: French hens and turtle doves join the partridge in the pear tree, which is pictured in an ornate urn. Spirin offers several whimsical touches (the tree's urn sports wings on the first page, and the “Four Calling Birds” are parrots with exotic plumage). Little by little, more of the foreground emerges, until the organized chaos appears in full splendor with elegant pipers, lords, ladies and milking maids, all. An artfully traditional interpretation. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 4–This holiday favorite is brought to life through Spirin’s gorgeous illustrations. The last pages include the score as well as a note about the song’s historical origins. Oval paintings act as windows containing the art, while text on the opposite page is framed by an ornamental garland from a pear tree. The elaborately detailed and exquisitely executed artwork, rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, has a Renaissance feel. Roman numerals are placed on the tree or the base of the tree planter to indicate which day is being celebrated. As the oval inset fills with calling birds, golden rings, swans-a-swimming, etc., readers will enjoy trying to count all the gifts. A must-have.–Diane Olivo-Posner, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

Spirin's immediately recognizable artistic style stands out in another arresting interpretation of a traditional text (Goldilocks and the Three Bears, 2009, etc.). His highly detailed watercolor-and-colored-pencil illustrations present in each opening an oval painting against a text page bordered in garlands of pears and leaves. His signature touches of gold are seen in the pears and in details of the costumes of the song characters, as well as in the text as the top of the pages defining the particular numerical day of Christmas. Succeeding illustrations become more and more crowded with all the added characters from the song, but each tiny animal as well as all the maids, ladies, lords, pipers and drummers can still be counted. The final pages provide the musical score and a note about the origins of the song. Lovely. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews