Synopses & Reviews
"On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A partridge in a pear tree."
For many centuries young and old alike have been singing about the maids a- milking, the lords a-leaping, and a partridge in a pear tree. A Christmas carol, a parlor game, and a delightful counting song-The Twelve Days of Christmas- is indeed a favorite of the holiday season.
In this book, sumptuously illustrated by Jan Brett, all the splendid images of The Twelve Days of Christmas come joyously alive. Look closely and you'll see not only the extravagant gifts given by a suitor to his lady, but a love story, a family's busy Christmas preparations, "Merry Christmas" in eleven languages, and a veritable menagerie of charming creatures.
Jan Brett's exquisitely detailed illustrations so rich in traditional folk motifs, make this book a visual treat to be enjoyed over and over again.
Review
-Beautifully conceived and finely wrought.+ -
Booklist, starred review
-Brett+s precise, glowing illustrations, drawing on Swedish folk art, make this a beguiling Advent calendar of a book.+-Kirkus Reviews
-This tale with its humorous close-ups of stubborn reindeer and a sharp child protagonist should prove popular at story hours.+-School Library Journal
Review
A warm book to the touch."
The New York Times Book ReviewSynopsis
Millions of readers have fallen in love with Jan Brett’s
The Mitten, and over 2.5 million copies have been sold since publication in 1989. This striking oversized anniversary edition with a silver foil jacket and a fresh image of the woodland animals will attract fans old and new, and adult collectors of Jan Brett’s books.
Set in a snowy forest, the fun begins when, one by one, animals crawl into Nicki’s lost white mitten to get warm until the bear sneezes, sending the animals flying up and out of the mitten. On each turn of the page, Jan hints at what animal is coming next in her signature borders, inspired by Ukrainian folk art.
Synopsis
For two decades, readers have loved this classic Christmas story, which was one of the first children's books to hit the
New York Times bestseller list. Now, this beautiful 20th anniversary edition, with a foil cover and a heartfelt note from Jan herself, makes a perfect introduction for new fans to this cherished yuletide story.
Featuring the wintry northern setting and the border illustrations that have become a hallmark of Jan's work, readers will love watching Teeka's humorous attempts to control the rambunctious reindeer in time for their Christmas run.
Synopsis
Jan Brett's The Twelve Days of Christmas has long been a holiday favorite. Now this classic picture book has been redesigned for maximum legibility as a charming board book, perfect for sharing the wonder and magic of Christmas with Jan Brett's youngest fans.
Synopsis
A centuries-old favorite holiday carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was one of the first to celebrate the secular tradition of gift-giving. This sumptuously illustrated version features not only the gifts of a suitor to his true love but a loving family's Christmas preparations, how to say "Merry Christmas" in 12 different language, and a vast array of charming woodland animals.
Synopsis
Jan Brett's The Twelve Days of Christmas has long been a holiday favorite. Now this classic picture book is a charming board book for sharing the wonder and magic of Christmas with the youngest readers. And like the board book editions of The Mitten and The Hat, it will be the perfect
About the Author
With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."