'Twas the Night Before Christmas

by Clement C. Moore, W. W. Denslow (Illustrator), Grace Duffie Boylan (Introduction), Juliet Ellis-Behnke (Created by)

Overview

Clement Moore’s classic ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas surely tops the list of all-time favorite Christmas stories. After “hanging their stockings by the chimney with care,” with hopes that “St. Nicholas soon will be there,” children ‘round the world are “nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums dance in their heads” every Christmas Eve.
It’s rare to find children’s books like this one. This book has been out-of-print for years. What makes it especially distinctive, and the reason it has been revised and reprinted, are the many unique, colorful illustrations by W. W. Denslow, who was best known for his original illustrations in The Wizard of Oz.
Vintage children’s author Grace Duffie Boylan, in her introduction, sets the stage by describing how the story came to be written.
The combination of bright, colorful vintage artwork, coupled with a playful typeface telling a much-loved story, makes for a delightful reading experience for both parents and children!

Product Details

BN ID:	2940015749069
Publisher:	Minus the Ink Digital Publishing Group LLC
Publication date:	12/11/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	60
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

About Clement Moore
Clement Clarke Moore (1779–1863) was an American professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College, now Columbia University. He is generally considered to be the author of the yuletide poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," which later became famous as " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas." The poem, "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American," was first published anonymously in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on December 23, 1823, and was reprinted frequently thereafter with no name attached. Moore later acknowledged authorship and the poem was included in an 1844 anthology of his works at the insistence of his children, for whom he wrote it.
A Visit from St. Nicholas is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of his reindeer, and the tradition that he brings toys to children. Prior to the poem, American ideas about St. Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors varied considerably. The poem has influenced ideas about St. Nicholas and Santa Claus beyond the United States to the rest of the English-speaking world and beyond.

William Wallace Denslow (1856-1915) – usually credited as W. W. Denslow – was an American illustrator and caricaturist, and is perhaps best known today for his work in illustrating Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." His trademark signature included a stylized rendering of a seahorse. Denslow was a colorful figure at the turn of the century; described by his contemporaries as a large man with a walrus moustache and a foghorn for a voice.

Grace Duffie Boylan (1861-1935) was one of eleven children. She attended Radcliffe College and the New England Conservatory of Music and began her career in Chicago as a journalist and reviewer, working as an art critic and writing a column called "One-Minute Romances from Real Life" for The Chicago Journal.
She was well known as a writer of children's stories, dialect poetry and patriotic verse. Boylan was featured in Prominent Persons of the Nation’s Capital, where she was described as “a woman of brilliant and magnetic personality, which is reflected both in her writings and in her public speaking.” She was a past president of the National League of Pen Women.