Night Before Christmas

There are many great books and songs about the winter holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's, and Scholastic has compiled some of the best of them in this DVD collection, which captures the spirit of the holidays as well as the meanings, traditions, and stories behind the various events. This two-disc set features well-loved classics like "The Night Before Christmas" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas," along with more recent fun family favorites such as "Max's Christmas" and "Morris's Disappearing Bag," plus lesser-known contemporary works like "In the Month of Kislev" and "Sam and the Lucky Money." While stories such as "Merry Christmas, Space Case" and "Morris's Disappearing Bag" are simply fun, brightly animated tales set during the Christmas season, stories like "Seven Tales for Kwanzaa" and "In the Month of Kislev" explain the traditions and meanings behind their respective holidays, and stories like "Great Joy" and "The Clown of God" celebrate important virtues such as compassion and making others happy. Talented narrators, including Anthony Edwards, Christopher Lloyd, Jane Curtin, and Ming-Na Wen, add depth and resonance to already powerful words; optional onscreen subtitles run for read-along viewing; and the illustrators' artwork is faithfully preserved in filming and animation. What's so great about this 12-story holiday collection is that it's a multicultural celebration of the winter holidays that manages to both inform and entertain viewers ages 3 to 7 and their adult caregivers. --Tami Horiuchi