'Twas the Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith.

Clement C. Moore's delightful Christmas poem, chronicling a visit from jolly old St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve night, is here presented with the artwork of celebrated late 19th/early 20th-century illustrator Jessie Willcox Smith, and the result is charming! The illustrations vary in their kind - sometimes they consist of decorative first letters and small black and white drawings; sometimes they are full-color page illustrations, paired with a stanza of text on the facing page; and once, there is a glorious two-page depiction of St. Nicholas landing on the snowy rooftop in his sleigh - but they are all lovely.

This particular presentation of this classic poem, with Smith's illustrations, was apparently first published in 1912 - the poem itself first saw print in 1823 - although this reprint was done recently, in 2014. Long familiar with Smith's illustrations for various classic novels - Heidi, At the Back of the North Wind, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - I think 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas is my first picture-book from her. Of the five illustrated versions of the poem that I have read in recent years, it ranks up there with the one by Charles Santore (my personal favorite), despite being in an entirely different style. The presentation and artwork here are old-fashioned (the poem itself has the original line about settling "our brains for a long winter's nap") but appealing. Recommended to anyone looking for a traditional presentation of this poem, as well as to fans of Jessie Willcox Smith. ( )

This is a holiday classic that every child should have read to them on Christmas Eve. The descriptive language used in the book and the illustrations bring Christmas to life in the eyes of a child. The theme of this well known poem is the excitement of Christmas. It describes in detail the events that take place on Christmas Eve leading up to the magical appearance of Santa Clause. ( )

Still awesome.

*Re-read. ( )

Nice warm illustrations from a world-renowned artist. ( )