by CLEMENT C. MOORE

  Adapted and illustrated by

  ABRAMS BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS • NEW YORK

  ’Twas the night before Christmas,

  when all through the house

  not a creature was stirring,

  except for a

  mouse.

  Tiny stockings were hung

  by the chimney with care,

  in hopes that St. Nicholas

  soon would be there.

  The

  children

  were nestled

  all snug in their beds,

  while visions of

  yummy

  treats

  danced in their heads.

  And Mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap,

  were just settling down for a long winter’s nap—

  When out on the lawn

  there arose such a

  clatter,

  I sprang from my bed

  to see what was the matter.

  Away to the window

  I flew like a

  flash,

  tore open the shutters

  and yanked up the sash.

  The moon on the breast

  of the new-fallen snow

  gave a luster of midday

  to objects below,

  When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

  but a miniature

  sleigh

  and eight tiny

  reindeer.

  With a little old driver

  so lively and quick,

  I knew in a moment it must be

  St. Nick.

  More rapid than eagles

  his coursers they came,

  and he whistled, and shouted,

  and called them by name.

  “Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer!

  Now, Prancer and Vixen!

  On, Comet! On, Cupid!

  On, Donder and Blitzen!

  “To the

  top

  of the porch!

  To the

  top

  of the wall!

  Now dash away! Dash away!

  Dash away, all!”

  As dry leaves that before the hurricane fly,

  when they meet with an obstacle,

  mount to the sky,

  so up to the housetop

  the coursers they flew,

  With a sleigh full of

  toys,

  and St. Nicholas, too.

  And then, in a

  twinkling,

  I heard on the roof

  the prancing and pawing

  of each little hoof.

  As I drew in my head

  and was turning around,

  down the chimney

  St. Nicholas came with a bound!

  He was dressed like a woodsman

  from his head to his foot,

  and his

  clothes

  were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

  A bundle of toys

  he had flung on his back,

  and I shivered with

  joy

  when he opened his pack.

  His eyes—how they twinkled!

  His dimples—how

  merry!

  His cheeks were like roses,

  his nose like a cherry.

  His droll little mouth

  was drawn up like a bow,

  and the beard on his chin

  was as white as the snow.

  He had a broad face

  and a round little belly

  that shook when he laughed,

  like a bowlful of jelly.

  He was chubby and plump,

  a right jolly old elf,

  and I

  laughed

  when I saw him, in spite of myself.

  A wink of his eye

  and a twist of his head

  soon gave me to know

  I had nothing to dread.

  He

  spoke

  not

  a word,

  but quick as

  a wink,

  filled

  all of the stockings,

  then turned

  with a blink.

  As soon as his work

  leaving presents was through,

  he nodded farewell.

  Up the chimney he

  flew!

  He sprang to his sleigh,

  to his team gave a

  whistle,

  and away they all sped

  like the down of a thistle.

  But I heard him exclaim,

  ’ere he drove out of sight,

  “Merry

  Christmas

  to all,

  and to all a good night!”

  Author’s Note

  Clement C. Moore’s poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”—originally entitled “A Visit from St. Nicholas”—has been with me my entire life. As a child, my father read it aloud on December evenings when the Christmas tree shimmered with tinsel, and strands of colored lights warmed the living room. As an adult, I read Moore’s verse to my own three children. I collected many picture-book versions of the tale and delighted in the ways illustration can tell a story as powerfully as words.

  For this, my version of “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” I started with the original verse by Moore, a handwritten copy of which is housed at the New York Historical Society (www.nyhistory.org/exhibit/visit-st-nicholas). However, I chose to keep the more popular title. I also wanted to find a way to put my own touch on the classic rhyme. Since I am known for a series of books about a mouse named Sam, I thought it would be fun to tell the Christmas tale from the point of view of a mouse who just happens to be Sam’s father. Though this is not a book in the Library Mouse series, the careful viewer will see how I’ve added details that reveal a little something about Sam’s origins.

  One of the curious things about “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” written in the nineteenth century, is that some of the language and concepts can be a bit confusing to today’s children. I know that when I read the poem to my kids, there were times I’d have to stop reading, breaking the mood to explain the phrases “settled our brains” and “just like a peddler opening his pack” or why Santa was smoking, when smoking is clearly not good for you! So while I tweaked the original to make it more of a mouse’s tale, I also made some minor adjustments to update the text . . . while keeping the essential mystery and wonder that I always found in this very special poem.

  For my editor and friend Howard Reeves

  The images in this book began as ink drawings,

  with color and texture added in Photoshop.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Kirk, Daniel, author, illustrator.

  ’Twas the night before christmas / by Clement C. Moore ;

  adapted and illustrated by Daniel Kirk.

  pages cm

  ISBN 978-1-4197-1233-3

  1. Christmas poetry. I. Moore, Clement Clarke, 1779-1863.

  Night before Christmas. II. Title.

  PS3561.I6844T93 2015

  811’.54—dc23

  2014038451

  Text and illustrations copyright © 2015 Daniel Kirk

  Book design by Maria T. Middleton and Alyssa Nassner

  Adapted from the original text of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement C. Moore, transcribed by him in 1862, a copy of which is housed at the New York

  Historical Society.

  Published in 2015 by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without

  written permissionfrom the publisher.

  Abrams Books for Young Readers are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details,contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below.

  115 West 18th Street

  New York, NY 10011

  www.abramsbooks.com

 

 

  Clement C Moore, Twas the Night Before Christmas

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