And Then Comes Christmas

by Tom Brenner, Jana Christy (Illustrator)

Overview

A lyrical invitation to watch for signs of the approaching season — and revel in the homespun rituals that warm a family celebration.

From icicles clinging to roofs and houses strung with colorful lights to visiting Santa and hunting for the perfect tree, this classic-in-the-making celebrates all of the holiday’s excitement. Evoking both winter’s changes to the world outside and well-loved traditions taking place within, here is a story to encourage readers to curl up with their loved ones and bask in the magic of the Christmas season.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536245226
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Series:	And Then Comes
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tom Brenner is the author of the picture book And Then Comes Halloween, illustrated by Holly Meade. He lives on Vashon Island in Washington State, where in mid-December the island’s residents gather to light a giant fir tree, sing, and welcome Santa.

Jana Christy is the illustrator of numerous books for children and young readers, including the New York Times best-selling Never Girls series, written by Kiki Thorpe. Jana Christy lives in Western Massachusetts.

My life as a writer might have started at age thirteen, reading historical novels. I remember thinking how neat that would be to tell stories of the past, to be there in my imagination. The first story I remember writing was about a contemporary kid taking a bath. He pulled the plug and went down the drain. I can’t remember if that was the beginning or the ending.

After college, I wore black turtleneck sweaters and asked what the meaning of a flower was and thought that would make me a writer. I owned a typewriter. In those days the closest I got was a job as an advertising copywriter. I was writing and being paid for it. After ten years of that, I became an elementary-school teacher, thinking I had the summers to write. But it turned out that with three children, trips, backyard chickens, dogs, a house, and a garden, the summers just flew by.

After I retired from teaching, I finally began to write. And I submitted what I wrote. And I got rejection after rejection. So I went back to school, to a course at the University of Washington — Writing for Children. And after all those years of assigning homework to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, it seems only fitting that my book about Halloween came out of a homework assignment.

No doubt growing up in Ohio, where autumn bursts with color and bright leaves drifted to the ground, and going to college at the University of North Carolina, where the fall colors were intense and lasted a long time, laid a foundation for the idea of my book. But more powerful were the memories of the excitement my own kids and my students had weeks before Halloween, talking about costume ideas, and then going out on that one very special night to rule the streets, looking for candy—and the word spreading faster than light of where the full-size candy bars were.

Three Things You Might Not Know About Me:

1. I was a Sugar Plum Fairy in a water ballet, a production of the UNC swim team.
2. I lasted one day as a door-to-door salesman at a time when I really needed a job.
3. From age six on, my cousin Bill and I were going to own a Montana horse ranch until years later I realized I was a little scared of horses—they are beautiful, but so big!

Editorial Reviews

The text is filled with rich vocabulary and sensory details, evocatively describing the sights, sounds and smells of the season. The joyous illustrations ... create a misty, dreamy atmosphere with blurred edges, glowing illumination and an overall impressionistic tone that will appeal to both children and adults. ... WHEN families find an endearing Christmas story (such as this one), THEN they will enjoy reading it over and over.
—Kirkus Reviews

As with his previous work, Brenner frames the story through a repeated pattern of “When…” and “Then…” statements full of poetic, Norman Rockwell-like descriptions of the weather, activities, and delicious moments. He lets the anticipation build and then delivers with a satisfying page turn. The text is matched with Christy’s cheery, hazy illustrations, focusing on the family’s curly haired girl and her towheaded little brother. Fans of the previous book, and those libraries with high demand for Christmas fare, won’t be disappointed.
—School Library Journal

Returning to the sequential narrative style of "And Then Comes Halloween," Brenner alternates between sentences beginning with “When” and those starting with “Then,” lyrically evoking a shift in seasons... The text describes holiday traditions generally, while Christy’s digital art—suggestive of watercolors scribbled over with crayon and pencil—personalizes the story, showing two siblings visiting a department store Santa, selecting and decorating a Christmas tree with their parents, and making and wrapping homemade presents. The contrast between the cool palette of snowy outdoor scenes and cozy interior settings is as pleasing as this family’s palpable affection.
—Publishers Weekly

An inviting story... Soft-focus digital illustrations in vibrant hues reflect the season’s coziness and industry. Those looking for an accessible book about secular celebration of Christmas will enjoy this warm-hearted offering.
—Horn Book

The lyrical journey through the pleasures of holiday anticipation is a rewarding one, with gratifyingly savory descriptions of winter rituals. Christy’s digital art has a soft-edged, painterly look; the gently textured candy-colored clothing and holiday décor stand out pleasingly against the subdued background tones of interiors and wintry landscapes, and the attractive family and their little black dog are welcoming figures. This would make a cozy readaloud selection, perfect for a pre-Christmas story hour for school-age kids or for a snuggle session at home on a snowy day.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Author Tom Brenner tapsinto a child's eagerness for Christmastime to arrive while Jana Christy's dreamy, radiant artwork adds just the right amount of warmth.
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Capturing the only-in-December sense of excitement that accompanies the holidays... This prelude to Christmas is an especially festive affair thanks to Jana Christy’s textured digital illustrations. In her hands, the rituals of December—baking cookies, trimming the tree, sitting on Santa’s lap—have a special candlelit magic. Brenner’s poetic prose distills the essence of the season.
—BookPage

Bright digital illustrations, which evoke the softness of watercolors, add to the cozy warmth.
—Seattle Times Sunday

From the Publisher

2014-08-12
A Caucasian family with two young children prepares for Christmas in this captivating look at the anticipation and activities during the countdown to the holiday. The second entry in a series, following And Then Comes Halloween (2009), this story follows the same textual structure, using a "when" / "then" format. Each new stage of holiday preparation begins with a sentence setting up the new scene. For example, "WHEN elves and reindeer appear in stores, and small trains race through toy villages, and piles of presents nestle in cotton drifts…." A corresponding action is then taken by the children in the family; in this case, they "THEN hop from foot to foot, waiting to sit on Santa's knee." The text is filled with rich vocabulary and sensory details, evocatively describing the sights, sounds and smells of the season. The joyous illustrations in jewel-bright tones appear to be watercolors, but they are actually digitally produced. They create a misty, dreamy atmosphere with blurred edges, glowing illumination and an overall impressionistic tone that will appeal to both children and adults. The final page shows the contented, loving family having a cozy Christmas morning breakfast together as they "bask in the magic of Christmas." WHEN families find an endearing Christmas story (such as this one), THEN they will enjoy reading it over and over. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews