Night Before Christmas (Arcadia Publishing)

This retelling of the Christmas classic by Clement C. Moore blends Santa Claus with the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch figure of the Belsnickel, a thin, cantankerous old man who visits children before Christmas and rewards, or punishes, them based on their behavior. The fun begins Christmas Eve when the Belsnickel arrives on an old-fashioned plow pulled by cows and steers. Havoc and humor erupt when the Yuletide load proves a little too heavy for the farmer's roof! The distinctive Pennsylvania Dutch dialect and the hilarious antics of the crotchety old Belsnickel will make this new addition to Pelican's regional Night Before Christmas series a holiday favorite your family will enjoy reading aloud again and again. Also Available:

"The hilarious story of one of St. Nick's alligators who was left behind after the toys were delivered one Christmas Eve" (Foreword Reviews). Boudreau needs to get away. His children are hollering as they play with their new toys, and his wife has cleaned out their pocketbook after buying Christmas gifts and treats. As he drifts down the bayou on a moonlit night, Boudreau spies Pierre, one of St. Nicholas's alligators that has been left behind! Boudreau offers Pierre a home to keep him safe from hunters and trappers. Will St. Nick ever come back for his lost gator? And what will Boudreau's children think of this new pet? No matter what, it's sure to be a very happy Cajun night after Christmas all through the year!

Celebrate Christmas and the Lone Star State with this 1950s classic that puts a spin on the Clement C. Moore classic. This clever, Texas-sized, Texas-style tale has entertained audiences for more than forty years. A Western Santa Claus-decked out in Levis, ten-gallon Stetson, cowboy vest, and with a bandana around his neck-makes his Christmas journey on a buckboard piled high with presents. Swooping in over the prairie to the amazement of sleepy residents and jackrabbits alike, a plump, jovial Santa parks his buckboard outside a peaceful ranch house. From boots stuffed with gifts to the faithful "hosses" pulling his "sleigh," it's a Christmas tale rich in Texas tradition and language.

It's Christmastime in Alaska, and Santa is preparing for another winter ride with his sackful of toys and his magical team of flying caribou. But one caribou named Kotz is tired of all the stories about Rudolph and reindeer pulling the sleigh. He alerts the press across the world, determined to get noticed by the media. However, when Santa stops for a rest at a zoo, Kotz meets Star, a reindeer who understands the true meaning of Christmas.With Santa's help, Kotz learns that sharing is more important than earning fame.

As Christmas Eve settles on the quiet trailer park, everything is as still as a rabbit caught in headlights. That is, until the Christmas Redneck appears on the scene. Dressed in camouflage, missing a few teeth, and chewing some tobacco, the Christmas Redneck comes bearing gifts for good little boy and girl Rednecks everywhere. His sack full of toys is hauled by his flying pickup truck and his eight hound dogs. The only question is: "Have you been a good Redneck this year?" If so, you, too, might see the Christmas Redneck. This delightful story is the newest in Pelican's “Night Before Christmas” series. Told in the tongue-in-cheek style familiar to fans of the series, this tale will entertain children and parents alike. The descriptive text and vivid illustrations make this book the perfect gift.

Christmas has come to the mountain country of Appalachia in a delightful new version of the classic holiday verse by Clement Moore. James Rice, illustrator of the bestselling Cajun Night Before Christmas, has teamed up with Thomas Noel Turner, a long-time resident of the Appalachian region and professor of education at the University of Tennessee, to add winsome dimension to the enchanting tale. A jolly, twinkly-eyed mountain man named Sainty appears dressed from head-to-toe in handmade quilted clothing driving a gift-laden buckboard pulled swiftly through the night by plump, friendly black bears, ushering in a true hillbilly Christmas. With grandpappy whiskers and a "how d'ye do" grin, Santy gently prods his team onward: "On Bigfeet! On Orn'ry Molassas an' Rumbler! Up Yowler! Up Growler! On Gumption and Grumbler!" This fanciful retelling of the lighthearted Christmas favorite is sure to delight not only those in the region, but also anyone who enjoys a chuckle.

Santa Claus spreads holiday cheer to a busy principal on Christmas Eve in this clever take on the children's classic. "'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town All the students and teachers had settled right down." Though everybody else has settled down for a long winter's nap, poor Principal Swell has his hands full. With state-mandated paperwork, computers to fix, bus routes to unknot, not to mention discipline and field trips and all the concerned parents, it seems he'll never get back home to his own family! Suddenly the school bell rings, and there stands a lively professor with a promise to fix, complete, or manage it all, since he's already sent the teachers home from the mall. With a few final words of encouragement, he takes off in his school bus: "Merry Christmas to principals-holiday cheer! For they make Santa proud every day of the year!"

"Twas a cold Christmas eve on the Southwestern plain," and two lonely cowboys are shivering from the cold. A knock at the door of their sod shanty rouses them, and they admit a fat little old man with frost on his whiskers and hat. The old man had been moving a load across the country when his team fled north to escape the panhandle cold. Now he must find a new team to help him finish his rounds. In this new twist on the classic tale, the two cowboys help the mysterious man round up eight replacement longhorns. Together they hitch the cattle up to the odd gent's wagon and see him on his way. The two cowboys trudge back to their shanty, where they discover the gifts the stranger has left them. Cowboy Night Before Christmas features whimsical illustrations from James Rice, widely acclaimed as one of the leading author/illustrators of American juvenile fiction. His fifty-plus children's titles total more than a million and a half copies in print; and his Cajun Night Before Christmas has become a seasonal classic. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

It's Christmas Eve and Dad is up late, testing a game for his son. A sudden ruckus outside brings him to his feet, and when he looks into the sky, he can hardly believe his eyes. Eight gigantic dinosaurs are pulling a strange UFO across the sky! It isn't long before this night before Christmas turns into a nightmare. The ferocious dinosaurs-Smasher, Splinter, Crusher, Fang, Biter, Slang, Stomper and a mean, mighty T-Rex dressed like an evil St. Nick-soon start destroying the neighborhood, gobbling up the presents, and ruining Christmas. When Dad meets the real Santa Claus, the two of them, along with some pretty amazing bubble gum, a powerful video gun, and some surprise helpers, engage in one epic battle to save Christmas. Imaginatively detailed illustrations from award-winning Jim Harris turn this hilarious and fantastic Christmas story into a larger-than-life Jurassic adventure.

Santa Claus spreads holiday cheer to a hard-working librarian on Christmas Eve in this humorous take on the children's classic. Due to low staffing, a librarian must spend her Christmas Eve stacking the shelves at a library in desperate need of renovations. After the strain of a long night that has left her feeling "like Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol," she is pleasantly surprised to see Santa and his six elves coming to her rescue in a red bookmobile. In this delightful retelling of Clement C. Moore's classic, Santa signs Newbery winners and starred Caldecotts and stocks the library shelves with Hawthorne, Steinbeck, Millay, and Hemingway. After reading to the children and drinking some hot chocolate, Santa puts his elves to work replacing the rugs, fixing leaks, and organizing gifts according to the Dewey decimal system. As he leaves, Santa pays overdue fees and booms, "Do one more good deed. Have a real merry Christmas-teach someone to read!" Praise for Librarian's Night Before Christmas "Santa is appropriately jolly and the elves, exuberant. A library cat and mouse contribute to the antics." -School Library Journal "This volume will definitely find a place in the hearts of librarians and library lovers." -Review of Texas Books

"'Twas the night before Christmas . . ." and Texas is ready and waiting for old Santy to appear. You may know the story, but you've never heard it like this before. Based on Clement C. Moore's poem, Texas Night Before Christmas is filled with images of the Lone Star State, whimsical illustrations, and playful text. It's an icy Christmas Eve as this Texas family prepares for Santy's visit. A great ruckus arouses Pa, and he spies Santy himself in full Western garb: rawhide suit, Stetson, and cowboy boots. He fills the young'uns' waiting boots, then warms himself a while before leaving for his next stop. As Ma and Pa lose sight of him in the fog, Santy calls out, "Merry Christmas, y'heah? And y'all have a good night!"

There is never snow at Christmas on the African plain. It is always hot and the riverbed is nothing but dust. Families sleep on floor mats waiting for Father Christmas, dreaming of relief from the heat. They have come to cherish the simple gifts he always brings. In this adaptation of the Clement C. Moore poem, the Shangaan tribe receives something much more precious than material goods. With a glossary and combination of African languages, this story shares how the true message of the season comes to every country and brings hope to all people. The first printing of the book was released in 2004 to a wildly receptive audience. The story was adapted into a musical and is used by many schools for Christmas concerts. The South African edition of O, The Oprah Magazine selected the book as one of its "Favorite Things" for Christmas in 2005.

Now reissued in full-color! Santa Claus was doing all right Christmas Eve until he hit the Southwestern Panhandle country. As soon as he did, a blue norther sweeping across the prairies sent his reindeer fleeing for the comparative warmth of the North Pole. Santa--Stetsoned, booted, and bundled to his nose--stomped through the blizzard until he came to a small sod shanty and corral. A dim flicker of firelight came through the whistling cracks in the door. And so opens this Christmas book from the pen of James Rice, now available in full color for the first time. A seasonal treasure for both children and adults, Cowboy Night Before Christmas traces the unlikely teamwork of Santa, two freezing cowboys, and a bunch of longhorn cattle "a mite short on brains" as they struggle to ensure that Christmas does indeed come on schedule. A new twist on the classic Christmas poem, this book plays off of its Southwestern setting and the drawling dialect characteristic of this part of the country. With richly humorous illustrations by Rice--an artist well known for his delightful drawings--Cowboy Night Before Christmas is a welcome addition to any collection of Christmas tales and legends.