The Twelve Days of Christmas
Jane Ray’s interpretation of the traditional holiday song playfully captures the romance and impossibility of it all. An opening page spread shows an inviting streetscape of artful row houses along a canal as snow gently falls and a delivery is being made to the red-haired woman living at number 4. It is, of course, a partridge in a pair tree. Each item from the song is showcased in a variety of imaginative scenarios featuring a multicultural cast. The children on the street play with the five gold rings (hoops) as the woman watches from her door, surrounded by the bevy of birds she’s already received. The nine ladies dancing sail by in a boat along the canal in flapper-inspired garments. The eleven pipers piping, representing a variety of cultures, surround the woman on her staircase. Through it all, the variety of expressions on the woman’s face (surprise, delight, dismay) are a treat. And then there is the young man who lives next door, seen peeking from his window, or sitting low in the prow of the dancing ladies’ boat: the woman’s true love, who shows up at her door with a rose on the final page. There is so much to notice on every page of Ray’s mixed media illustration in images that balance rich colors and details with a wonderful sense of warmth and whimsy. ©2011 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Jane Ray
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-9
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Celebrations, Holidays, and Observances
Love and Romance
Music and Musicians
Diversity subject:
Multicultural General
Publisher:
Candlewick
Publish Year: 2011
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780763657352
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 782 Ray