Published by Moody Publishers on September 3, 2024
Genres: Children's, Christmas
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Enjoy Charles Dickens’ beloved masterpiece, freshly imagined within an enchanting woodland realm.
In 1843, Charles Dickens penned a story—a classic Christmas tale full of ghosts and the endearing humbug Ebenezer Scrooge. That story—which has captivated readers for over 50 years—is now accompanied by the delightful illustrations of Joe Sutphin. With charming woodland characters and settings that families will adore, readers will be transformed by A Little Christmas Carol. A tale of greed, regret, loneliness, reflection, compassion, hope, and a joyfully changed life, this beautifully illustrated edition will enliven the timeless classic for readers young and old.
For the perfect family read-aloud, make A Little Christmas Carol a part of your family’s Christmas tradition. This new edition makes a wonderful gift.
"It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself." —Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol dates back to 1843, but its message and themes are timeless, and the story speaks to people of all ages. This illustrated edition lightly adapts the novel for young readers, imagining the story into a world populated by woodland creatures. The book features charming, soft illustrations by Joe Sutphin, and his drawings create a remarkable sense of place and are full of interesting details. The animal characters will appeal to children, and the fantasy world elements also help soften some of the harder, more frightening moments. As for the story, this isn’t an abridgement, but is just a lightly edited version of the original text by Charles Dickens. The most obvious changes are the altered descriptions, which now describe animal characters instead of people. This edition maintains the vast majority of the original text, including its wide-ranging, expressive vocabulary.
Little Christmas Carol: The Illustrated Edition is a great introduction to a timeless classic, and it is ideal for families to read aloud together. The book is a large, lay-flat hardcover suited for a shared experience, and parents can read this to children who don’t have a high enough reading level to read classic Victorian literature on their own, but who will benefit from the story and from exposure to great literature. There are also many rich themes for families to discuss. The story includes general messages about caring for others instead of being selfish and having a hard heart, and Dickens also wove some explicitly Christian messages into the story. Christian parents will appreciate how naturally Dickens expressed important truths without being preachy, and although the story’s portrayal of repentance and redemption can resonate with anyone, it will be especially meaningful to Christians.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and the format enriched my experience. I had read A Christmas Carol once before, in a cheap paperback copy with small text and tight margins. That, as well as the fact that I was reading it for college, limited my enjoyment and my retention of the details. This edition is much easier to read and enjoy because of the generous font size and margins, and the illustrations add to the whole experience. I enjoyed the story much more on this second reading, and found it hard to put down. I highly recommend this book to parents and kids, and to adults who would enjoy the illustrations.
