Kirkus Reviews QR Code
GULLAH NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Virginia M. Geraty

GULLAH NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

by Virginia M. Geraty & illustrated by James Rice

Pub Date: Oct. 1st, 1998
ISBN: 1-56554-330-0
Publisher: Pelican

Clement Moore's "The Night Before Christmas" gets stirred up with Uncle Remus tales and blossoms into a whole new story in Gullah dialect. Readers unfamiliar with Gullah will need help translating, but Geraty provides assistance in the form of footnotes and a glossary. Sandy Claw Buh Rabbit, after gobbling down a good dinner, fills the family's stockings with apples, candy, and fireworks. As soon as he leaves, Buh Fox drops down the chimney, steals all the Christmas surprises, and takes off after Buh Rabbit. The father (who narrates) runs down the road to warn Buh Rabbit. In the meantime, when Buh Fox attempts to leave by climbing back up the chimney, the rocket in his back pocket ignites and sends him skyward. Rice's illustrations are extremely coarse, with the faces and postures of the members of the family uniformly stiff. But Geraty's merry version is so much fun to read aloud, and such an original take on the familiar poem, that the book will certainly be welcomed_and begged for_at story hours. (Picture book. 7-9)