THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

My review 

This is one of the most moving, caring, emotional novels I have ever read. I read this book only because I had met Delia and have read her wildlife books she wrote with husband Mark Owens. After starting the book this was all I could think about for days. Kya's life become part of mine and the characters ceased to live on the page... they were alive with me and I was in the marsh, feeling every feather - the air, creatures and the plants. Jumpin' became a trusted friend and so many moments touched my very soul. I should not have been surprised as Delia has a great style in her wildlife books that I love to read. But a novel like this is not my normal read. Maybe I need to now reconsider what I choose as this book stopped me cold and made me rethink a lot that happened in my life. Delia touched the human soul with her behavioral descriptions. She is not only a respected wildlife scientist, she is a human behaviorist and understands more about the human condition that just about anyone else I know. This is a tremendous treasure of a book and I'm sure it's staying in my read again list for a long time. Highly recommend the book.

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Release date 

October 11, 2011

Book description 

Here is the wonderful new version of the classic poem every family should own. This edition of The Night Before Christmas is lavishly illustrated by renowned, New York Times #1 Bestselling artist Charles Santore, the critically-acclaimed illustrator of multiple classic tales, including The Wizard of Oz, Snow White and The Little Mermaid. This is a hardcover edition of the classic The Night Before Christmas, featuring a four-page gatefold and an embossed and foil-stamped cover.

First published anonymously in a New York Newspaper called the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823, under the title “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Clement Clark Moore has long been credited as the author of this beloved yuletide poem, but literary scholar Don Foster now believes that the true writer was in fact a poet of Dutch heritage named Henry Livingston Jr. Livingston had passed away by the time Moore claimed authorship of the poem years later. In 1844, Moore published “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in an anthology of his own poetry, but Livingston’s family has always insisted that Moore is not the true author. However, even if Livingston’s family had never spoken up, Moore’s authorship rings a bit false. The structure of the poem is very different from anything else Moore had written, but the style and imagery do match Livingston’s writing. Most compelling of all are the Dutch references in the poem, including several reindeer names, such as “Donder” (meaning “thunder”) and “Blixem” (meaning “lightning”). These names were anglicized in later editions to the now-famous “Donner,” and “Blitzen.” As a nod to Livingston’s claim on the poem, we have left the original Dutch name “Donder” in our edition.