Jan Brett's books are always full of detailed illustrations that totally captivate the reader and draws them into the story. Her version of The Night Before Christmas is a great version to read with your child. You are in for a treat!
Here's a few ways to share an especially beautiful, illustrated book like Jan Brett's Night Before Christmas:
- Spend one of your read aloud sessions just looking at the pictures. Talk about the things going on in the picture. Pick out a detail from the illustration and name the object and talk about what it is used for.
- Get a flashlight and read the book in the dark. This draws extra attention to the pictures in the story. In particular, The Night Before Christmas is a good one to use for this technique, since the story takes place at night. It also makes the story more magical.
- Once you and your child are familiar with the story, tell the story using the pictures, not the words. If your child is old enough, have her tell you the story.
