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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Celebrate Christmas with the classic holiday song everyone loves to sing, now in a beautifully illustrated gift-ready picture book!
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . .
Alison Jay's signature crackle-glaze technique makes this illustrated version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" luminous and animals dart across the pages, ladies dance, lords leap, and wintery landscapes sparkle against warm, cozy scenes.With hidden surprises on every page, this is a book for the whole family to treasure-and sing along to!-year after year.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . .
Alison Jay's signature crackle-glaze technique makes this illustrated version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" luminous and animals dart across the pages, ladies dance, lords leap, and wintery landscapes sparkle against warm, cozy scenes.With hidden surprises on every page, this is a book for the whole family to treasure-and sing along to!-year after year.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published September 1, 2014
About the author
Alison Jay
124 books49 followersAlison Jay was born in Hertfordshire, grew up in Derbyshire and studied graphic design in London where she now lives. After graduating she worked in animation for a short while but gradually started to get commissions in illustration. She works in Alkyd a quick drying oil paint on paper and sometimes adds a crackle varnish to give the work an aged appearance. She has worked in all areas of illustration including
advertising ,packaging, editorial and design. Her commission's include a 48 sheet poster for B.T, a TV commercial for Kellogg's corn flakes and has recently illustrated the new baby range of products for Crabtree and Evelyn. She has also illustrated lots of children's books including 'Picture This', 'William and the night train','The Race', 'I
took the moon for a walk', 'The Emperors new clothes, If Kisses were colours, 'ABC Alphabet', an unabridged fully illustrated version of 'Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland',Listen Listen', 'Welcome to the Zoo', 'A Child's first Counting Book', 'Today is the Birthday of the World' and 'Nursery Rhyme Rainbow'. She recently worked with Aardman Animation on the development
of a feature film and is currently working on a version of 'The Nutcracker'.
Her book 'Welcome to the Zoo' which is a wordless visit to a cage less 'animal hotel' has been selected as one of New York's Bank Street's 2009 best
books of the year.
advertising ,packaging, editorial and design. Her commission's include a 48 sheet poster for B.T, a TV commercial for Kellogg's corn flakes and has recently illustrated the new baby range of products for Crabtree and Evelyn. She has also illustrated lots of children's books including 'Picture This', 'William and the night train','The Race', 'I
took the moon for a walk', 'The Emperors new clothes, If Kisses were colours, 'ABC Alphabet', an unabridged fully illustrated version of 'Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland',Listen Listen', 'Welcome to the Zoo', 'A Child's first Counting Book', 'Today is the Birthday of the World' and 'Nursery Rhyme Rainbow'. She recently worked with Aardman Animation on the development
of a feature film and is currently working on a version of 'The Nutcracker'.
Her book 'Welcome to the Zoo' which is a wordless visit to a cage less 'animal hotel' has been selected as one of New York's Bank Street's 2009 best
books of the year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 21, 2020
Great illustration but the story was okay
January 2, 2020
English picture-book author and artist Alison Jay turns her attention to the classic Christmas carol in this lovely holiday picture-book. The twelve verses of the song are paired with Jay's illustrations of the twelve gifts, as her artwork depicts an evidently much in love couple as they make their way to a Christmas ball, and then home again...
This lovely picture-book is the second Christmas title I have read from Jay, following upon her 2010 The Nutcracker , and is a wonderful addition to any collection devoted to Christmas carols. As someone with an interest in Christmas carol picture-books - I have now read around sixteen such titles devoted specifically to The Twelve Days of Christmas - I'm always eager to see what different artists will do with the same material. I appreciated the way Jay worked her carol into a larger visual story about a couple attending a ball, and (as always) I enjoyed her beautiful crackle-finish illustrations. I don't know that this will go on my favorites list - the best versions of this are the ones illustrated by Laurel Long and Jane Ray, in my opinion - but it is still a sweet little work. Recommended to fans of the artist, and to anyone seeking beautiful picture-book versions of The Twelve Days of Christmas.
This lovely picture-book is the second Christmas title I have read from Jay, following upon her 2010 The Nutcracker , and is a wonderful addition to any collection devoted to Christmas carols. As someone with an interest in Christmas carol picture-books - I have now read around sixteen such titles devoted specifically to The Twelve Days of Christmas - I'm always eager to see what different artists will do with the same material. I appreciated the way Jay worked her carol into a larger visual story about a couple attending a ball, and (as always) I enjoyed her beautiful crackle-finish illustrations. I don't know that this will go on my favorites list - the best versions of this are the ones illustrated by Laurel Long and Jane Ray, in my opinion - but it is still a sweet little work. Recommended to fans of the artist, and to anyone seeking beautiful picture-book versions of The Twelve Days of Christmas.
December 21, 2022
Colorful, fun illustrations!
December 7, 2017
Another beautiful version published in 2017.
December 16, 2019
Beautiful illustrations, as always, by Alison Jay! What a treat!
October 22, 2021
This is an interesting take on the "12 Days of Christmas" song. Rather than just having the gifts in her yard, it illustrates the gifts being given in a community context!
December 1, 2015
SUMMARY: In this edition of the classic song "The Twelve Days of Christmas", a happy couple make their way to a lavish Christmas party, discovering wonderful gifts as they go.
ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations were created with alkyd paint and crackle varnish on thick paper. The illustrations are gorgeous, have a vintage look and give you a warm and cozy feeling even in the midst of the cold weather scenes.
THE GOOD: I love how this song is used to tell the story of a young couple on their way to a party. The "giving" is often more in the way of what they see along their journey. The illustrations are of earlier times, perhaps the 1800s so you get to see Christmas from an historical perspective. I loved everything about this book except for one thing:
THE NOT AS GOOD: In order to fit the telling of a "story" of this young couple, some of the gifts were rearranged. For instance, in this book it is 10 drummers drumming instead of 12 drummers drumming. This does make the story flow beautifully, but if you are looking for the traditional song and wish your child to participate in the telling, this may cause some confusion. If you are simply looking for a beautiful Christmas story, then this rearrangement won't matter.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: Advertised for ages 3-7. I think ages 4-8 will appreciate the "story" and illustrations more.
ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations were created with alkyd paint and crackle varnish on thick paper. The illustrations are gorgeous, have a vintage look and give you a warm and cozy feeling even in the midst of the cold weather scenes.
THE GOOD: I love how this song is used to tell the story of a young couple on their way to a party. The "giving" is often more in the way of what they see along their journey. The illustrations are of earlier times, perhaps the 1800s so you get to see Christmas from an historical perspective. I loved everything about this book except for one thing:
THE NOT AS GOOD: In order to fit the telling of a "story" of this young couple, some of the gifts were rearranged. For instance, in this book it is 10 drummers drumming instead of 12 drummers drumming. This does make the story flow beautifully, but if you are looking for the traditional song and wish your child to participate in the telling, this may cause some confusion. If you are simply looking for a beautiful Christmas story, then this rearrangement won't matter.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: Advertised for ages 3-7. I think ages 4-8 will appreciate the "story" and illustrations more.
October 12, 2015
I might be on those rare individuals who loves this ubiquitous holiday song. I enjoy its repetitive nature, and the way the gifts get increasingly more absurd and complicated. This lovely picture book captures that spirit and the love between a wealthy young couple as they find all sorts of marvelous surprises. I don't know if they are on their way to a party or out for a little shopping and then returning, but either way, the last illustration shows how content the two are to be sitting quietly by the fire, enjoying each other's company and seemingly unencumbered by all those other gifts. Conspicuous consumption aside and discounting the four calling birds sitting atop a delicious confection due to health concerns, the book is guaranteed to put anyone in a festive mood while watching this couple move across the landscape depicted in the illustrations, created with acrylic paint and an overlay of crackle varnish. It was originally published in the United Kingdom.
November 10, 2015
This is the original, traditional Twelve Days of Christmas story, told just as the song is always sung. There are no extra words, just the original song lyrics everyone knows and loves. The pictures are what makes this book spectacular! They are drawn as if they have been on clay or pottery, been broken, and put back together. The colors are deep and vibrant in every picture and of course they go right along with the song lyrics. This a gorgeous Christmas classic that kids and adults alike will enjoy during the holiday season and throughout the rest of the year. This book is a great way to get kids familiar with a Christmas song that they may not know very well. They will enjoy the different things the recipient is given during the days of Christmas and they will be fascinated by the intricate illustrations that grace each page. I absolutely loved this book and recommend it!
December 13, 2015
A beautiful picture book that uses crackle-glaze to create an old fashioned Christmas romance. In this illustrated narrative a young couple encounters the accumulation of gifts on their way to a Christmas party. I've often wondered about why the words differed in various renditions, i.e. why are the drummers sometimes ninth and other times twelfth. There is no explanation in this picture book; however, a little research verified that there are many versions of the song and although the words in this version are closely aligned to the original, none of the versions appear to have ten ladies dancing. Despite this minor curiosity, this is a lovely Christmas treasure.
December 22, 2019
The kids and I quite like it. The illustrations are eye- catching and beautiful.
However, why is the order different than I am used to? I’m used to 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords-a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing...
However, why is the order different than I am used to? I’m used to 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords-a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing...
February 10, 2015
I love this. As the Author of one of my favorite ABC board books, I was really excited to take a look at this. I love the artwork, and this is going to be a great gift idea for the Holiday season.
March 2, 2015
Beautiful art work and a cute take on the story. I received an advanced copy of this through Edelweiss,
March 15, 2015
Beautifully illustrated.
October 29, 2015
Beautiful Pictures....
November 8, 2015
Beautiful illustrations (Alison Jay's specialty!) but minus a million points for rearranging the order of some of the gifts!
November 14, 2016
A beautifully illustrated book, a perfect gift for Christmas.
December 13, 2016
Cute illustrations.
Read with Naomi.
Read with Naomi.
December 15, 2016
Beautiful illustrations! Great Christmas book!
April 21, 2018
Delightful illustrations!
May 5, 2026
Really pretty illustrations.
January 1, 2019
Lovely, timeless illustrations.
January 12, 2019
Lovely pictorial accompaniment to the Elizabethan carol. The cracked paint style reminded me of glazed art!
Read
November 11, 2019Search-and-find-Santa makes this a fun and interactive read.
December 19, 2019
Stunningly illustrated! An interesting read too when looking for all the extra figures Alison Jay puts in each picture. Highly recommend.
January 1, 2020
Beautiful illustrations
January 11, 2020
A cute book with lovely illustrations.
November 12, 2017
Gorgeous illustrations!! This just retells the 12 Days of Christmas, so the story isn't new. But perhaps I can take this review to share the news...
On what...
The 12 Days of Christmas
IS.
It is the twelve days after Christmas. So until January 5 or 6 depending on if you count Xmas Eve or not. Take your pic. Or if you're religious, take your church's stance on it. I personally use the 6th. Btw, it's bad luck to take your tree down before then.
Please stop bringing Christmas forward. Push it back, like it was originally. That way we can all celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving.
On what...
The 12 Days of Christmas
IS.
It is the twelve days after Christmas. So until January 5 or 6 depending on if you count Xmas Eve or not. Take your pic. Or if you're religious, take your church's stance on it. I personally use the 6th. Btw, it's bad luck to take your tree down before then.
Please stop bringing Christmas forward. Push it back, like it was originally. That way we can all celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving.
December 14, 2021
Alison Jay's illustrations have delighted us through the years! We loved "Bee & Me" and "Welcome to the Zoo." There are always so many details and fun stories going on in the background; these are books to take your time with and really study the pictures!
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was so fun! Look for multiple elements of the song on every page, including but not limited to clues to the next item(s) and bits of the previous one(s). There's also a Santa on every page, as well as a reindeer on many, and a runaway turkey that keeps popping up. 😄
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was so fun! Look for multiple elements of the song on every page, including but not limited to clues to the next item(s) and bits of the previous one(s). There's also a Santa on every page, as well as a reindeer on many, and a runaway turkey that keeps popping up. 😄
April 25, 2019
It’s essentially the song that we all know, with the addition of art. I did enjoy the art, which is why I didn’t knock it down to three stars. But I was really hoping for this to be an adaptation of some sort.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews