'Twas the Evening of Christmas ('Twas Series)

"'Twas the evening of Christmas, when all through the town,
Every inn was so crowded, no room could be found.
Tired Mary and Joseph, who went door to door,
At last found a place on a small stable floor."

So begins Zondervan's new Christmas picture book 'Twas the Evening of Christmas written by Glenys Nellist and illustrated by Elena Selivanova. As might be expected from the quote above, it is written in the same rhyming fashion of Clement C. Moore's poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. This makes the book a pleasure on the ears as it is read aloud.

My taste in children's books is that the illustrations seem realistic and not cartoonish or silly. I don't think even the smallest child needs much of that. These illustrations are nice. They lean more towards realistic, though though they obviously aren't meant to be portraits but representations. The colors are rich and beautiful.

The story is nice but fictionalized a bit. I think this was probably to make it fit into the rhyming sequence. Of course, none of us were there to witness the account. I think that the thing that bothered me most in the book was the description and the illustration of baby Jesus lying on a bed of hay naked (nothing important shows) without even a blanket beneath him. What loving father or mother would do that? The Bible clearly states, "swaddling clothes". I really didn't like that. It was a bit too much "poetic license" for me. I think that when we are writing about a historical, Biblical event as important as our Savior's birth, we need to be sure we are teaching truth.

All in all, compared to many recent children's books I've seen it's a good book. Is it my first choice for a picture book? No, probably not. It's a nice story book, but I would like a bit more accuracy. Just my honest opinion.

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night....

$16.99
Zondervan

Disclosure: I was sent a sample of this product for review purposes only. I was not compensated in any way. All opinions are my own based on my experience with this product. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"Twas the Evening Before Christmas" is a 8 3/4 inch by 11 1/4 inch, 27 page hardback book with beautiful full color pictorial cover and matching dust jacket. The author has taken the beloved poem of "The Night Before Christmas" and replaced the traditional secular wording to reflect the true Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus. Much of the poem centers around the viewpoint of the animals in the stable. The author maintains the poetic timing and lilting in these new words. Each page in the book is a full page, full color illustration with every other page having a verse of the poem printed over the illustration. The artist conveys the feeling of that first Christmas of being in the stable where Jesus was born. Many of the illustrations are rather dark in tone to convey the atmosphere of the stable on that first Christmas night. My only minor concern is that perhaps the artist should have painted the pictures illustrating the actual birth of Jesus and the Wisemen and the appearance of the angels with brighter colors to convey the miraculous and joyous emotions of these events.

I love this book and heartily recommend it for a read aloud book for children and adults around the Christmas Season.

Beautiful book and illustrations. I bought this for Christmas time reading for my grandchildren ages 3 and 5. They enjoyed it very much and will be a good reader for a couple of years to come. I and they really liked that the story’s tone is the same as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ which they were familiar with.

“The pigeons were nestled all snug in their beds; while visions of breadcrumbs danced in their heads. The cow closed their eyes and the oxen laid down; the doves cooed so gently; the lambs made no sound.”

Book: Twas The Evening Of Christmas by Glenys Nellist, Illustrated by Elena Selivanova, Zonderkidz 2017
Genre: Picture Book
Target Audience: Boys and Girls 4+
Subjects: Jesus’ Nativity
Summary/Notes: It’s a retelling of the “Night Before Christmas” that tells the real Christmas story! I was hooked from page 1! Absolutely beautiful illustrations and the wonderful rhymes that make you start memorizing it from the first read! I used to want to memorize “The Night Before Christmas” until I realized I was trying to memorize something that had nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. This is a perfect solution! My only complaint is that like most every traditional children’s story about Jesus’ nativity, it has the wise men arriving at the manger and calls them 3 kings. Theologians and historians have pointed out the Bible doesn’t give a number, they probably arrived when Jesus about two, not that very night, and they were not kings, but astrologers. But again, nearly every single story does the same thing. It’s just tradition. It’s still a gorgeous book that focuses on the true story and I’ll eagerly share it with all my students! I do like the imaginings of how the animals could have responded. Did all of God’s creation leap to awareness when He was born? It’s fun to imagine what it may have been like!
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 3/5
Enjoyment Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Isaiah 55:12 – You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Thank you so much to the publishers for the review copy! I think I enjoyed it even more than my students!
All opinions are my own.

Beautiful illustration,wonderfully written,my 11,8,6 yr old children loved it!

Beautiful book that tells real Christmas story with a Night before Christmas theme - Beautiful illustrations

My children enjoyed this book ages 8, 6, 3. A nice story to remind us of the meaning of Christmas! Beautiful artwork.

I love the illustrations in this book! (Hearing the author read in person was delightful!)

This is a beautiful account of Christ's birth written in lovely poetic form. The illustrations are gorgeous and capture the heart as well as the eye. My four year old preschool class was spellbound when our Children's Ministry Director read this to them. I can't wait to add the author's other works to my personal collection. It's refreshing to find such beautiful children's literature available that celebrates Jesus' birth.

The book that made Christmas Eve an annual tradition, "The Night Before Christmas", read by my grandfather every year, has now been beautifully re-told thanks to Glenys Nellist's wonderful gift of story-telling! Instead of anticipating the coming of Santa, the reader is now anticipating the coming of the Christ Child. And the illustrations! Elena Selivanova captures beautifully all the characters in the story...2-legged and 4-legged! I am especially drawn to the "eyes". "Twas the Evening of Christmas" will be a beloved addition to our Christmas Eve story-telling!