'TWAS THE FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Judy Sierra, , illus. by Will Hillenbrand. . Harcourt/Gulliver, $16 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-15-201805-4

'Twas the night before Christmas and not only is a mouse stirring, he is delivering gifts to a haunted house and driving a sleigh powered by eight tiny bats in Sierra and Hillenbrand's (collaborators for The House that Drac Built) gigglishly ghoulish, Halloween-inspired rendition of Moore's Christmas classic. After initially blaming one another for interrupting their long winter's naps, the werewolf, zombie, mummy and pals soon make nice, encouraged by the tiny rodent with a red cap. Readers will enjoy tracking the mostly unnarrated progress of the mouse amid the funny and dynamic mixed-media paintings. Ages 3-7. (Oct.)

Featured Religion Reviews

Pico Iyer

Novelist and essayist Iyer (The Half Known Life) shares in this luminous account the lessons that more than 30 years of visiting a Benedectine monastery in California have Continue reading »

Catherine Nixey

In the early days of Christianity, there were many different versions of Christ, according to this scintillating history from journalist Nixey (The Darkening Age). Studying Continue reading »

Bruce Gordon

Yale Divinity School history professor Gordon (Calvin) delivers an ambitious study of how a collection of prophecies, poems, and letters became a sacred text that has shaped Continue reading »

Eliza Griswold

Pulitzer winner Griswold (Amity and Prosperity) delivers a riveting chronicle of the fracturing of a progressive Christian church during a period of social and political Continue reading »