Books like Silent Night

Silent Night, illustrated by Susan Jeffers.The classic Christmas carol Silent Night - "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" in the original, it was composed by an Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr, set to music by local schoolmaster and oragnist Franz Xaver Gruber, and first performed in Oberndorf bei Salzburg in 1818 - is used as the text for this lovely holiday book, with accompanying artwork by Susan Jeffers. Each two-page spread features a sentence or two, with full-page color illustrations depicting the scene being mentioned in the text. The result is a gentle, contemplative Nativity story that makes for a wonderfully quiet reading experience.Reissued in 2003 with new cover art, Susan Jeffers' interpretation of this beloved carol was first published in 1984, and it is this earlier edition that I read. With such a simple text, there isn't much of a "story," but the artwork fills in the blanks, and when read while listening to a recording of the carol - I chose a performance done by The Deller Consort, myself - the experience is quite evocative. I was reminded of candle-lit Christmas Eve carol services I have attended, over the years. Although Jeffers, who has done quite a few well-received fairy-tale retellings as well, is not one of my very favorite illustrators, I do enjoy her work, and this was no exception. The scenes with the angels were particularly well done, making it no surprise that they ended up on the cover of the new edition.