Review of
The Night Before Christmas, In Texas That
Is, by Leon A. Harris ISBN 0882891758
Five out of five stars
Amusing alteration of a classic poem
One
of the most well-known poems is “The Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Clarke
Moore. This is a
modification of that poem, altered to reflect the culture and climate of Texas.
In general, a sleigh is useless in the arid regions of the state and there is
very little snow. Reindeer are nonexistent, except in zoos.
Therefore, in this poem, Santa arrives on a
buckboard pulled by four horses. He is wearing a ten gallon Stetson and cowboy
jeans and walks through the front door. The children have hung boots rather
than stockings and the last line is “Merry Christmas, you-all!”
The
text is rhyming in a cadence very similar to that of the poem by Moore. Those
who have heard the classic will recognize much of the cadence. There are also
background features in the images that set the context of Texas. For example,
the post of the top bunk has a lariat wound around it. It is a fun book to read,
and children will love it.
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