The Soldiers' Night Before Christmas

October 1, 2006
K-Gr 3-This version of the Clement Moore poem takes place on a U.S. Army base in the desert. The narrator wakes up when he hears a crash, and sees a Blackhawk helicopter giving the all clear to nine Humvees and a jeep, all loaded with gifts. Sergeant McClaus calls the drivers by name: Now, Cohen! Mendoza! Woslowski! McCord! Now, Li! Watts! Donetti! And Specialist Ford! When the caravan leaves, the sergeant calls out, HAPPY CHRISTMAS, BRAVE SOLDIERS! MAY PEACE COME TO ALL! Cartoon illustrations help to make this a lighthearted, even humorous, retelling that will probably be most appreciated by military families who already know the original version."Virginia Walter, University of California, Los Angeles"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2007
Clement C. Moore's holiday classic is updated and transplanted to a desert army base, where Santa is Sergeant McClaus, whose mission is to "bring Christmas from home to the troops far away!" The rhymes have military precision, and this setting (in which a sleeping soldier snuggles his rifle) will be a revelation to many readers, but the art is off-puttingly caricaturish.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)