Musher's Night Before Christmas

by Tricia Brown, Debra Dubac (Illustrator)

Overview

A champion musher leads Santa's sleigh in a whiteout. It is Christmas Eve and Santa's on top of the world, but Rudolph's nose is out of juice. With only one stop left, they can't quit now. But how will they find their way to Nome, Alaska, with all the heavy snow? In order to deliver his last presents, Santa recruits a great musher and his eight champion huskies. Will this brave team be able to guide Santa's sleigh tonight?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589808430
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/28/2011
Series:	The Night Before Christmas
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.20(w) x 8.82(h) x 0.34(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tricia Brown spent more than twenty years in Alaska writing for newspapers in Fairbanks and Anchorage. She served as editor in chief of Alaska magazine before entering book publishing. She has written seventeen books on Alaskan subjects, including Alaskan Night Before Christmas, and is the foremost editor of books on dog mushing. Brown holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master of fine arts degree in creative writing. She lives in Scappoose, Oregon.


Debra Dubac is a full-time illustrator/designer and mom. Her Alaskan surroundings, and all its natural resources, continuously inspire her to produce colorful expressions of some of the most admired wildlife and nature in the world. Her work has received recognition from the Alaska Press Club, the Advertising Federation of Alaska, and the Society of Professional Journalists. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

Editorial Reviews

Yet another parody of "The Night Before Christmas," this time with a sled-dog theme and an Alaskan setting.

The text uses the rhythm and rhyme scheme of the classic poem, and the plot revolves around Santa making his worldwide deliveries with his team of eight reindeer plus Rudy with his red-light nose. A solitary sled-dog owner named Tom and his team of dogs are introduced in their remote Alaskan setting, and when Rudy's light grows dim, Santa stops at Tom's cabin's to ask for his help. The city of Nome, Alaska, is socked in with whiteout conditions, so Tom and the team travel by sled with added lights so Santa and the reindeer can see to reach their final stop. As Santa's parting gift, he leaves Tom a new van to transport the sled dogs and a new sled shaped like Santa's sleigh. The text is long and not particularly funny, and some verses are tongue-twisters, but the plot holds together and conveys some basics about sled-dog travel. The cartoon-style illustrations are humorous but crude, and the elves are downright scary caricatures.

This will be of interest to Alaskan residents and those fond of sled dogs, but most youngsters will prefer a more traditional or more amusing interpretation. (author's note, glossary)(Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews