Jan Brett captures the spirit of the story inspired by Clement Moore's famous Christmas poem in glorious illustrations, visually extending the verse via the addition of two mischievous stowaways from the North Pole who enthusiastically explore the delights of Santa's gift sacks! Full color.

Hardcover for Club Price: $9.17, October 2009, Published by Putnam Publishing Group
Hardcover for Club Price: $3.59, August 2001, Published by Golden Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $10.86, September 2005, Published by Minedesign
Hardcover for Club Price: $6.29, October 2004, Published by HarperFestival
Hardcover for Club Price: $10.86, August 2009, Published by Harpercollins Childrens Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $4.45, September 1998, Published by Running Press Book Publishers
Paperback for Club Price: $6.29, September 2002, Published by Little Brown and Company
Hardcover for Club Price: $9.71, September 2002, Published by HarperCollins Publishers
Paperback for Club Price: $5.16, August 2004, Published by Laughing Elephant
Hardcover for Club Price: $11.54, September 2006, Published by Philomel Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $11.54, October 1999, Published by HarperCollins
Paperback for Club Price: $3.55, September 2005, Published by Ideals Children's Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $7.59, September 2003, Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Hardcover for Club Price: $10.83, October 1989, Published by Pelican Publishing Company
Hardcover for Club Price: $13.45, August 2007, Published by Andrews McMeel Pub
Hardcover (Anniv. Ed.) for Club Price: $8.95, August 2005, Published by Courage Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $6.25, September 2004, Published by Chronicle Books
Paperback for Club Price: $6.25, July 1980, Published by Holiday House
Hardcover for Club Price: $12.19, September 2007, Published by Universe Publishing(NY)
Hardcover for Club Price: $12.20, August 2001, Published by Running Pr Book Pub
Paperback for Club Price: $3.59, June 1975, Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Hardcover for Club Price: $9.85, November 2006, Published by Cliff Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $8.44, August 2004, Published by Sweet Water Press
Paperback for Club Price: $7.16, October 2006, Published by Scholastic
Library Binding for Club Price: $18.97, January 2006, Published by Spotlight
Hardcover for Club Price: $12.22, September 2007, Published by Candlewick Press (MA)
Hardcover for Club Price: $7.16, September 2007, Published by Sterling
Hardcover for Club Price: $6.47, August 1990, Published by Random House Childrens Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $11.54, August 2006, Published by Marshall Cavendish Corporation
Hardcover for Club Price: $7.15, October 2005, Published by Chronicle Books
Paperback for Club Price: $5.35, October 2007, Published by Running Press Kids
Paperback for Club Price: $3.59, September 1993, Published by Grosset & Dunlap
Paperback for Club Price: $4.49, September 2006, Published by Dover Publications
Hardcover for Club Price: $6.25, September 1995, Published by Applewood Books
Hardcover for Club Price: $16.67, August 1994, Published by Gallaudet University Press
Hardcover for Club Price: $12.11, October 2007, Published by Listening Library

Holiday books harvest laughter and warmth for young readers

'Twas the season of giving,

And all through the stores,

Await bright racks and shelves,

Filled with holiday books galore!

Indeed, this year's crop seems especially good, starting with Bonny Becker's hilarious The Christmas Crocodile (Simon & Schuster, $16, ages 4-8, 0689815034). In an old Victorian home to a young girl named Alice Jayne and her eccentric relatives (including prudish Aunt Figgy and world adventurer Uncle Theodore) comes a mysterious, very hungry present - a crocodile. While Uncle Theodore thinks the beast would make splendid shoes, and Figgy wants him sent to an orphanage, Alice Jayne would prefer to keep the croc, despite the havoc his chomping jowls wreak. Artist David Small, well known for his work in Imogene's Antlers, The Library, and The Gardener, makes this lively story all the better with his fanciful illustrations that'll have you laughing out loud (especially when Aunt Figgy's toes get nibbled).

Illustrator Jan Brett, creator of holiday cheer in books such as The Wild Christmas Reindeer and Christmas Trolls, now puts her distinctive touch on The Night Before Christmas (all ages). Her elaborate designs combine Norwegian coziness (as seen on the reindeer's blankets and the intricately carved sleigh) with Victorian visions of sugarplums and stockings. Brett adds her own twist to the classic by including two stowaway elves in Santa's sleigh.

  Julia and Robert Van Nutt have created a possibility-filled world in A Cobtown Christmas (Doubleday, $15.95, all ages, 0385325568), the first in a series of stories about folks in an 1845 American town. The story unfolds in diary entries written by a spirited ten-year-old named Lucky Hart. As the town prepares for Christmas and a special concert in which Lucky will sing, a blind man who doesn't speak English arrives in town. It's nice to hear this is a series, because Cobtown is a cheery, action-packed place readers will look forward to revisiting.

Young readers will enjoy Nancy Tafuri's Counting to Christmas (Scholastic, $15.95, ages 2-5, 0590271431), in which a young girl describes her favorite family activities: making cards, baking cookies, wrapping presents, and stringing popcorn and cranberries. The spare text and bold images make this a perfect choice for toddlers and young preschoolers. Also included are recipes and instructions for the activities described within the story.

Alice Cary is a reviewer in Groton, Massachusetts.