A Child's Christmas in Wales
By Chris Raschka (Illustrator); Dylan Thomas
(Candlewick, Hardcover, 9780763621612, 48pp.)
Publication Date: September 23, 2004
Categories: Childhood Memoir, Literary
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Fifty years after its first publication in book form, Dylan Thomas's timeless prose poem is echoed by the rolling, evocative images of Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka — a beautiful gift for book lovers.
Bring out the tall tales now that we told by the fire as the gaslight bubbled like a diver. . . .
There are always Uncles at Christmas. And Aunts, of course, who might sing a little loudly after dinner. There are the neighborhood cats "sleek and long as jaguars and horrible-whiskered," the carols to sing at eerie houses, the Useful Presents and the Useless Presents, and the endless snow "shawling out of the ground." First published in HARPER'S BAZAAR some fifty years ago, A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES showcases Dylan Thomas's genius for language and remains the poet's most popular prose work in the United States. Chris Raschka's fluid torn-paper illustrations honor the poet's words, evoking their musical cadences and bringing us a fresh appreciation for this most lyric work.
Dylan Thomas is lauded as one of the greatest of the twentieth-century poets. Born in Swansea, Wales, in 1914, he became a journalist at seventeen and published his controversial EIGHTEEN POEMS in 1934, which made him an overnight success. Dylan Thomas was markedly influential in his short life and produced work that remains wildly popular today, including the bitter and poignant "Do not go gentle into that good night" and the strikingly dramatic Under Milk Wood. Dylan Thomas died in 1953. A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES remains one of his best known works, and many families count a rousing reading of the poem among their favorite holiday traditions.
Chris Raschka is the illustrator of many picture books, including the concrete poetry anthology A POKE IN THE I, edited by Paul B. Janeczko, which was named a NEW YORK TIMES Best Illustrated Children's Book. He is also the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book YO! YES?, and has been hailed by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY as
"one of the most original illustrators at work today."
"This beautifully illustrated A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES should bring Dylan Thomas's work to a new generation of children." —- President Jimmy Carter — A New York Times Bestseller
"This beautifully illustrated A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES should bring Dylan Thomas's work to a new generation of children." — President Jimmy Carter — President Jimmy Carter
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