Irish Night Before Christmas, An

"An Emerald Isle version of the perennial poem."-New Orleans Times-Picayune

"This cute children's book celebrates both the universality of spiritual experiences and the delights of discovering cultural differences."-New York Daily News

'Round Christmastime, things are a little different on the Emerald Isle. Instead of logs thrown onto the fire, we find turf blazing bright. Instead of cold eggnog spiced just right, the mother and father are enjoying their stout. You'll find no Donner or Cupid or Blitzen, but Ould Neddy the donkey and his small cart. Father Christmas with his Irish eyes twinkling ushers in his seven elves, and thus begins the wondrous Irish Night Before Christmas.

This humorous tale, in the same vein as the famous Cajun Night Before Christmas, is the Irish version of Father Christmas's yearly visit. Told in delightful brogue, it will have everyone wishing "Nollaig sona agut!'' (Merry Christmas to you!)

Sarah Kirwan Blazek was born in county Wexford, Ireland, and retains dual citizenship in Ireland and the U.S. She is also the author of An Irish Hallowe'en and A Leprechaun's St. Patrick's Day. A retired elementary-school teacher, Ms. Blazek lives in Diamondhead, Mississippi.

Widely acclaimed as the South's leading illustrator of juvenile books, James Rice is the illustrator and/or author of over sixty titles with over 1.6 million copies in print. Rice was born on a farm in Coleman County, Texas, in 1934. He graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Texas, a master of fine arts degree from Stephen F. Austin University, and a master of arts degree in education from Howard Payne College. He taught art and music at both the high-school and college levels and was a favorite speaker at schools, nursing homes, and community centers across the country. Mr. Rice moved to Hico, Texas, in 1980, where he died in 2004.