The 12 Days of Christmas & Other Winter Holiday Picture Books for Kids – Day 8

<BR><font size=2> <em>Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for the National Writing for Children Center</em>

<img src=’http://writingforchildrencenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/the-hillbilly-night-afore-christmas-cover.jpg’ align="left"alt=’Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas’ /><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas</em>
<strong>Written by:</strong> Thomas Noel Turner
<strong>Illustrated by: </strong>James Rice
<strong>Hardback:</strong> 32 pages
<strong>Ages:</strong> 4-8
<strong>Publisher:</strong> Pelican Publishing Company (September 1983)
<strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 088289367X
<strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 978-0882893679

‘Twas the night afore Christmas ‘twixt ridgeback and holler. No critter was twitchin’ nary hawg dast to waller. Sound familiar—sort of? <em>Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas</em> is another book from Pelican Publishing in their ongoing ‘Night Before Christmas’ series. But this time, instead of visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, the youngun’s was snuggle’t grub deep in the tickin’, dream conjurin’ up or’nges and stripe’t candy lickin’. And the hillbilly narrator? He’s in his long johns of course!

It’s Christmas in the Appalachian mountain country, and it’s time for Santa to come to cabins all around. But don’t expect the traditional red suit and a sleigh pulled by reindeer. No siree! The old ‘Sainty’ who comes to hillbilly country has ‘granpappy whiskers’ and looks ‘plumb full of happy’ even while dressed head-to-toe in his homemade patched-up clothing. He is ‘more do than talk’ as he stuffs ‘them stockin’s right quick.’ Yet he’s ‘real squirrely an’ spritely’ as he goes about his business.

And his mode of transportation? An ole timey wagon pulled by eight smokey bears, of course! Big Feet, Orn’ry, Molasses, Rumbler, Yowler, Growler, Gumption, and Grumbler do a right smart job of getting ‘Sainty’ from place to place. And the whole contraption looks ‘kindly dreamy, way yonder’ up against that bright ‘punkin’ moon!

In the original <em>Night Before Christmas</em>, it’s Saint Nick who does the shouting at the end of the story. But in <em>Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas</em>, the parting words come from our hillbilly narrator as he so plainly puts it. But I give him a holler afore he got clear, ‘Merry Christmas, ole boy, y’all come back, yuh hear!”

Once again, the humorous illustrations by the late James Rice really set the stage for this delightful story. In fact, in one illustration where ‘Sainty’ is filling the stockins’ near the ‘chimbley’, one of the bears is sitting as the table eating the honey left out for the visitors. Forget the milk and cookies! And although some of the pictures are simple line drawings, there are several two-page full-color spreads with lots of depth and detail.

The author of the book, Thomas Noel Turner, is a native of the Appalachian region so he knows first-hand about the voice of mountain folks. You’ll find yourself slipping right into the narrator’s shoes as you try out the unique hillbilly dialect. <em>Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas</em> is definitely another fun holiday read from Pelican Publishing!

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<strong>Amy M. O’Quinn</strong> is a pastor’s wife and former schoolteacher-turned-homeschool mom of six. She is also a freelance writer who enjoys jotting down ideas around the fringes of family life. She specializes in non-fiction, and her work has been published or acquired by magazines including <em>Jack and Jill, US Kids, Guideposts for Kids, Learning Through History Magazine, Highlights, GEORGIA Magazine, Homeschooling Today, International Gymnast</em>, etc. She is also a product/curriculum/book reviewer for <em>The Old Schoolhouse Magazine</em> and a regular columnist for <em>TEACH Magazine</em>. The O’Quinns live on the family farm in rural south Georgia. You can find Amy’s blog, Ponderings From Picket Fence Cottage, <a href="http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom">http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom</a>