A Kiwi Night Before Christmas

The much-loved poem by Clement Clarke Moore, originally released under the title 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' but better known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' is given a new slant in this Kiwi version. The weather is fine and hot and the family is staying at the bach for the Christmas holidays when a white-haired man in black singlet and shorts appears in the sky riding on a tractor drawn by six sheep. This is the ultimate read-aloud for Christmas in New Zealand. The rhyming text flows off the page and Deborah Hinde captures the colour of a truly New Zealand festive season.