"Forget Dancer, Prancer, Comet, and Vixen. . . . Good Clement, wherever he is, will not be gnashing his teeth."

—New York Times Book Review

"Set in a Louisiana bayou and told in Cajun dialect—‘e chirren been nezzle/Good snug on de flo’—the poem has lively illustrations that perfectly suit the unique text."

—Horn Book

More than twenty-five years after its first appearance, Cajun Night Before Christmas® has become a modern classic that has sold more than 490,000 copies and has served as the model for Pelican's ongoing, best-selling Night Before Christmas series.

The formula that started this success story is surprisingly simple: take the classic story of jolly old St. Nicholas, place it in a Louisiana bayou, dress Santa Claus in muskrat "from his head to his toes," pile his skiff high with toys, and hitch it to eight friendly alligators. The result is a delightful twist on an old and familiar tale. It is Christmas on the bayou.

About the Illustrator
James Rice, in his long, distinguished career as an author and illustrator, has produced fifty-plus children's books, among them an addition to the Night Before Christmas series, Gullah Night Before Christmas. With more than a million and a half copies of his books in print, he ranks among the nation's best-selling creators of children's books.

CAJUN NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS®
By Trosclair
Illustrated by James Rice
JUVENILE FICTION / Holidays & Celebrations / Christmas & Advent
48 pp. 8½ x 11
Full-color illustrations
16th ptg. 490,000 in print
ISBN: 9780882899404