The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman

From the Publisher

Bells jingle, sleds dash through the snow, trees are topped with sparkling stars, and children everywhere dream of candy canes and presents. But the best gift of all—the most magical gift of the season—is when we spend Christmas with those we love.

Once again, this New York Times-bestselling author and artist has created a special, beautiful story that families will want to share year after year.

Publishers Weekly

As the adult speaker of the story nods off in a comfy red chair, the Spirit of Christmas appears, ready to get the narrator in the holiday spirit. What follows is a buoyant, imagistic tribute to the season, as the Spirit lists joys both concrete (“A toy soldier band dressed in matching red sashes!”) and intangible, before offering the reminder: “Because it took nothing but love to begin it,/ it's not really Christmas if love isn't in it.” Tillman's ethereal illustrations (a frozen tree, dotted with peppermints; the cast of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” beside a river) are surreal but captivating. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4–“I had just nodded off,/at a quarter past four,/when the Spirit of Christmas/stepped in through my door.” So begins this lovely story in which all the delights of the season are presented. Realism and fantasy are satisfyingly paired to bring the mixed-media illustrations of treasured holiday scenes to life. Many of the paintings include bits of lyrics and music from well-known carols. The message is sweet; no matter how fancy one’s decorations, no matter how elaborate one’s feast, or how many pretty packages wait beneath the tree, “It is love that makes the angels sing.” A beautiful and timeless book.–Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Bestselling author Tillman offers a dreamlike interpretation of the collective spirit that permeates the holiday. The first-person rhyming text shows the narrator (the author herself?) dozing off just as the personified Spirit enters the room. The following illustrations and text create a magical atmosphere, with a sleigh splashing through water, peppermints growing on trees and wolves howling a Christmas carol. A page representing peace shows a lion lying down with a lamb with a dove overhead, and another page shows a flock of sheep under the Christmas star with a textual reference to the baby of the season. This mysterious approach concludes with the narrator's child viewing the Christmas tree, which to her is the best part of Christmas. The illustrations have an appealing, surrealistic quality, but the caliber of the text is uneven. (Picture book. 4-7)

Product Details

• Read an Excerpt

Read an Excerpt