The Night Before Christmas and More Christmas Stories!

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS: By Clement Clarke Moore; Illustrated by Ruth Sanderson. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and we know that St. Nicholas soon will be there, in this classic tale beautifully told by Anthony Edwards. MAX’S CHRISEvery Scholastic video comes shrink-wrapped with high parental expectations, and none more so than this adaptation of Clement Clark Moore’s Christmas classic. With old-fashioned illustrations and Anthony Edwards’s careful, cuddle-up narration, every nuance feels nailed, and a reverent tone is preserved. Two dearly drawn Rosemary Wells snippets follow–Max sneaks a peek at Santa in “Max’s Christmas” and Morris makes out like a Christmas bandit, earning the envy of his siblings in “Morris’s Disappearing Bag. ” After that, “Owl Moon” loops back to the title episode’s literary mood with Jane Yolen’s real-looking classic about a magical night in the wintertime woods. A find for kids ages 2 to 8. –Tammy La Gorce

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5 Responses to “The Night Before Christmas and More Christmas Stories!”

1. S. Brown on November 24th, 2009 9:02 am

   I was very disappointed in the illustrations (no animation & very old fashion drawings) on “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. This would have been okay for the nostalgia but not for a group of five-year-olds. The narration on the other stories were really boring.
   Rating: 3 / 5

2. Anissa's Momma on November 24th, 2009 12:01 pm

   My 3 yr. old absolutely loved this video. She really got into Santa this year and this video helped raise her excitement level. We watched it at least 15X on Christmas Eve. This video will definitely become part of our annual Christmas Eve traditions.
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. L. Jordan on November 24th, 2009 12:24 pm

   We checked this out from our local library to help get in the holiday mood. Our personal favorite is Owl Moon. Owl Moon (Jane Yolen) and Clown of God (Tomie DePaola) are both great stories we have read and enjoyed innumerable times and I believe both are read by the author. Max’s Christmas and Morris’s Disappearing Bag are cute holiday stories and especially great for younger kids whom enjoy these books, a fun reminder of past enjoyed books for older kids. The Night Before Christmas is illustrated by Rugh Sanderson and told by Anthony Edwards. Additionally, Too Many Tamales, is a great story which shows some families’ traditions at Christmas, another book we had previously read a few times.
   I think that anyone considering this DVD needs to realize it is a Scholastic DVD, where kids’ “beloved stories come alive”. It is not “animated”, nor should it be, but the actual illustrations are included and often brought to life and “move. ”
   These are great stories at a good price. Enjoy!

   Rating: 5 / 5

4. Lizvage on November 24th, 2009 1:41 pm

   We liked this dvd. Gentle Christmas themed stories. However, we did not expect or desire the Clown of God story. It’s fine if your kids are used to moralistic bible stories. It’s not so fine if you have a sensitive child who is not. Essentially, a man earns his living being a clown, making no time to pursuit religion. He becomes too old to perform and goes to stay with the monks. He is inspired to perform one last time and through God’s grace he does the best performance of his life. Then he dies.

   The other extra story is Too Many Tamales. It’s about a girl who is helping her mother make tamales. She can’t resist the temptation to try on her mother’s ring. The ring disappears from her hand while she is mixing the dough. She and her siblings force themselves to eat all the tamales in search of the ring but cannot find it. The girl confesses in tears to her mother. Then notices her mother is wearing the ring. Everyone pitches in to make new tamales.
   Rating: 3 / 5

5. donkee on November 24th, 2009 4:35 pm

   Buy the DVD version of this if you can. The bonus story Clown of God is so touching. My husband who NEVER cries actually had a tear on his cheek after he watched it!!! The other stories are very cute. Max’s Disappearing Bag is hilarious. I find that these Scholastic Videos are just the right amount of animation for young children, yet still interesting enough for older kids. Even the parents will find them enjoyable. It is so neat to watch your favorite books come to life. We own pretty much the whole collection, and found almost every story stays true to its original artwork/text.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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