The week before our December holiday break always includes a special Top Book contest. It’s our annual Battle of the Night Before Christmas Illustrators. We’ve done this each Christmas for decades and the contenders are always Jan Brett, Cheryl Harness and Corinne Malvern.
Each artist brings her own vision to their richly rendered illustrations for Clement C. Moore’s classic poem, written in 1823 and originally entitled A Visit from St. Nicholas. In this video, Jan Brett discusses the architectural inspiration for her illustrations she found in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Corinne Malvern’s Santa and reindeer are traditionally rendered and enormously appealing to preschoolers. In fact, Malvern has been the Top Book winner in nearly every contest we’ve held. The children love the “olden days” vibe of the characters and toys, and they always take turns picking their favorite “old timey” toy from among the toys illustrated on this page. Why not call your child over right now and ask them which toy they’d pick if they were an “old timey” kid?
Malvern’s illustrations are featured in this video of The Night Before Christmas, narrated by Robin Williams. You’ll find Jan Brett’s illustrations in this video, and Cheryl Harness’s illustrations here.
Why not make an annual reading of The Night Before Christmas part of your own family’s holiday traditions? You’ll be in good company stretching back over 200 years.