From Disney Hyperion comes a new take on the classic song, “The 12 Days of Christmas.” This time, author and illustrator Greg Pizzoli brings the memorable song to life in a fun and silly way, using his unique animal style.
As parents read the book to their children, they are introduced to a family of elephants celebrating the 12 days of Christmas. Each gift brings more animals to the household and what starts as a fun holiday quickly turns into cramped quarters. The kids are repeatedly excited by the new animal gifts, but the parent becomes increasingly concerned.
The special thing about the book is that the text hasn’t been tweaked at all, every lyric is the same as you would find it in the song. All of the rest of the story is picked up through the fun illustrations by Pizzoli. The French hens wear burrets, the swans a-swimming come in with beach towels under their wings, the lords a-leaping are frogs, etc… In the end, there’s a stocking above the fireplace for everyone who has arrived and the wall is covered from floor to ceiling with them.
I first became familiar with Greg Pizzoli’s work last year with another Disney Hyperion release, Good Night Owl. The author has a really fun style and I love what he’s done with this story. Pizzoli won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for his book The Watermelon Seed and his color choices often remind me of some of the Seuss classics.
If you’re looking for a holiday-themed book to add to your child’s bedtime story rotation this December, The 12 Days of Christmas by Greg Pizzoli is a perfect choice. You and your kids will love examining all of the fun things in each page and laughing as the elephant family’s house is taken over by all these festive critters.