The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas - Hardcover

Muecke, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811863220 ISBN 13: 9780811863223

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2008

Synopsis

The dinosaur fossils in the museum come to life (and sing, dance, and eat gingerbread) in this rollicking twist on the classic poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. And with the enclosed CD, children of all ages can enjoy dinosaur-themed Christmas party music, and hear the story read aloud by the Today Show's Al Roker! A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book goes to support the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where the story is set.

About this title

About the Author:

Anne Muecke spent much of her childhood roaming the halls of the American Museum of Natural History, and volunteered as a docent in the dinosaur halls after their renovation in 1996. She lives in New York City.

Nathan Hale has painted dinosaur murals in museums around the country. He has also written and illustrated two picture books, Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School and The Devil You Know. He lives in Provo, Utah.

From Booklist:

The traditional Christmas poem gets a wild and woolly new treatment in this wonderfully illustrated book, sure to attract dinosaur fans. A young boy is asleep, but “there arose such a clatter,” so to speak, from the museum across the street that he heads over to see what’s up. What’s up is the dinosaurs, starting to wake from their millions-of-years’ sleep. Bones turn into scales and feathers, and soon the huge reptiles are on the move. For a moment the boy wonders if an approaching dino wants to eat him, but there’s a bit of mistletoe hanging around that leads to a kiss instead of a chomp. The text mostly keeps to the rhythm and scan of the original, though it goes on much longer and occasionally takes a rhyming roundabout. It’s the acrylic artwork that’s the standout here. The well-crafted dinosaurs, in eye-popping colors, really do seem as if they’ve come to life, and their ferocity is neatly combined with their jollity. Included is a CD with dinosaur-themed Christmas songs (lyrics appear at the end of the book) as well as the story read aloud by The Today Show’s Al Roker. Preschool-Grade 2. --Ilene Cooper

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0811863220
• ISBN 13: 9780811863223
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 36
• Illustrator: Hale Nathan