Lauren Semmer’s The Night Before Christmas

A fresh and contemporary adaptation of a beloved Christmas classic that features a jolly Black Santa from New York Times bestselling children's book creator Lauren Semmer.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

All are cozy on this Christmas Eve night. This modern retelling starts with a family dressing the Christmas tree and setting out cookies and milk for a special visitor, while a delightful winter cityscape dazzles outside. Though the city never quite sleeps, the family inside—including the cat—are all snuggled up tight. But when a clatter wakes up one child and they glimpse St. Nick’s sleigh and eight reindeer from the window, a magical meeting occurs.

New York Times bestselling illustrator Lauren Semmer reimagines a holiday classic with her signature vibrant and playful art. This gift-worthy, foil-stamped book edition celebrates the holiday with a jolly Black Santa, perfect for families to read on repeat during the Christmas season.

Semmer’s blocky, digitally tweaked pencil art, which suggests cut-paper tableaux, is micro-detailed and thoroughgoing—there is no unused space. Absolutely everything is alluring. Good tidings indeed. - Kirkus (starred review)