'Twas Nochebuena

Peppered with Spanish words, this reimagining of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" relates the Christmas Eve celebrations of a Latino family. Thong's humorous verse follows Moore's strong rhythm without faltering--despite the metrical challenges of working in two languages at once. Palacios's warm, earth-toned illustrations invite readers into the festivities, whether these tradiciones are familiar or new to them. Glos.

Peppered with Spanish words, this reimagining of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" relates the Christmas Eve celebrations of a Latino family. Thong's humorous verse follows Moore's strong rhythm without faltering--despite the metrical challenges of working in two languages at once. Palacios's warm, earth-toned illustrations invite readers into the festivities, whether these tradiciones are familiar or new to them. Glos.

An entertaining reimagining of Clement Clarke Moore’s classic, “’Twas the Night before Christmas,” which preserves the jaunty rhythm of the original and updates it for a multicultural audience. For children who aren’t familiar with Latino Christmas traditions, the book introduces fun details such as Christmas Eve piñatas and buñuelos, cinnamon-dusted fritters. For children with firsthand experience of these traditions, ’Twas Nochebuena is a joyous affirmation of their cultural heritage. Spanish vocabulary, sprinkled throughout, can be understood in context: “‘Dale, dale—hit it,’ they cry! ‘Uno, dos, tres. Now it’s your try!’” (A glossary also defines the Spanish terms.) Sara Palacios’s cheerful illustrations, full of movement and expression, give readers the sense they’re in the center of the festivities, drinking “chocolaty champurrado” and strolling the streets with “homemade faroles that glow in the night.”

Peppered with Spanish words, this reimagining of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" relates the Christmas Eve celebrations of a young girl's Latino family: making tamales, decorating their home with tree and crèche, caroling, swinging at a piñata, attending midnight Mass, and more. Thong's humorous verse follows Clement Moore's strong rhythm without faltering -- despite the metrical challenges of working in two languages at once. Palacios's warm, earth-toned illustrations of a happy multigenerational family invite readers into the festivities, whether these tradiciones are familiar or new to them. A glossary and author's note are appended. katie bircher