'Twas the night before Christmas... and someone is stirring... An innovative and fun retelling of a Christmas classic: this book tells the traditional Clement C Moore poem on one side of the page, and a mischievous child's version of events on the other

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...I don't want to butt in But I'm wide awake And in Santa's book That's a naughty mistake This little boy tells us what's really happening in the house before Father Christmas arrives. He's too excited to sleep and worries that he'll get in trouble for staying awake on the big night. His curiosity pays off, however, when he is rewarded with his very own ride on Santa's sleigh...

The familiar verses of The Night before Christmas are set in shiny gold letters on the left-hand pages of this atmospheric interpretation of the holiday classic, while Goodrich's rhymed quatrains set in a modern typeface serve as a counterpoint on facing right-hand pages. The creature who is stirring in this household is an earnest little boy in star-spangled pajamas, watching out the window for Santa's arrival. Those who are already familiar with Clement Clark Moore's original will best understand this juxtaposition of traditional text and corresponding action with the little boy's story. While Santa is delivering the gifts in the living room, the little boy climbs up to the snow-covered roof to help secure the slipping sleigh, with this good deed offsetting the boy's naughty behavior of staying up to see Santa. Goodrich's arresting illustrations effectively capture the shadowy blue-and-gray tones of the darkened household and the glowing midnight blue of the outdoor scenes, infused with reflected light from the surrounding snow. The illustrations are spectacular, but these original verses in casual, modern phraseology can't hold a candle to Moore's tried-and-true cadences. (Picture book. 4-8) (Kirkus Reviews)