Native American Night Before Christmas

by Gary Robinson, Jesse T. Hummingbird (Illustrations)

An innovative retelling of the classic Christmas tale, this full-color book takes a whimsical look at what Christmas Eve might be like for a Native American family when Old Red Shirt (the Native American Santa Claus) comes a-calling with his team of flying white buffalo to deliver fry bread, commodities and other goodies. Renowned Cherokee artist Jesse Hummingbird’s inspired illustrations transform the author’s playful adaptation into a fresh and modern work of art. A delight for people of all ages and cultures, especially those interested in Native customs and art.

Genres: Picture Books, Christmas, Native American, Childrens, Holiday, Indigenous, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though Christmas is still far away I am starting to look for new books to share this year. This story really made me smile - a great take on this traditional tale. Like the fact white buffalo pull the sled! A book I am sure will please family and friends this holiday season!

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This does come from a respected indigenous writer. I read this before looking into the writer and was questioning the text and illustrations. Didn't know if it was created with stereotypical ideas and images - such as the headdresses and the tipis. I was questioning if this story was created with a specific nation in mind or for general indigenous people (which I thought wasn't the best way to go).

[Terzah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's March, yes, but I couldn't help picking up this fun short picture book. Here's a sample: "....while visions of chokecherries danced in their heads." I also liked the glossary at the end, though it didn't include an explanation of the word "goot" (as in "..and to all a 'goot' night!"). This spelling of "good" appears twice here, and I couldn't figure out why. Googling it yields only various acronyms and a definition in Dutch. Can anyone shed any light?

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A take-off on The Night Before Christmas that has some clever parts. It is very readable, and it would be a nice contrast with the traditional poem for kids. But parts of it felt like a jumble of different tribe that aren't distinguished from one another. The art is appealing.

[Sarah Daniluk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I would've had this book as a child. Still, my inner child has stars in her eyes. Scratch that, frybread in her eyes.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well done twist on a very familiar Christmas poem and will have you snuggling up in your tipi dreams, wishing Old Red Shirt might stop by.

Simply said, I enjoyed this one. Not only is it refreshing to visit the entire poem from the view of Native Americans, but the retelling is also nicely done. The author does a great job of changing the atmosphere to slide right into the Native American view point, while still holding the fun and humor the original tale also includes. It's light hearted, educates, and is still packed with holiday joy.

The book begins with a note, pointing toward a glossary at the end, where several unfamiliar terms are explained. This section held the same lightness as the rest of tale and really added in help when needed with a handful of terms. The author really kept the age group in mind, and I appreciate that.

The illustrations are bright, cheerful, and pack the necessary details to not only keep listeners coming back and peeking at the scenes themselves, but also sneak in information. The scenes allow the life of a Native American in a tipi to peek through, and there is something to discover on each and every page.

I found it fun to see how the author kept to the old rhyme and found myself smiling more than once as, for example, 'choke cherries danced in their heads'. While the retold poem and illustrations stick to a more historical direction, I did stumble a bit when a sudden dash of modern slipped in twice. Part of me was disappointed and wished the historical end remained constant, but another part wonders if this is more enlightening. Either way, it's a lovely book, which adds a great twist to the Christmas story end of things, and I'm sure readers will enjoy this one.

I received an ARC and enjoyed diving into this one quite a bit.

[Cory Guthrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was in general a good retelling of the classic t'was the night before Christmas with minor changes that make it more for Native American children which I honestly think is brilliant. The minor changes such as the name of saint nick being Redshirt and instead of reindeer flying having white bison flying the sled which is a really cool change in my opinion because it makes it more sense 8 bison carrying a sleigh around the world seems more likely then 8 reindeer flying a sled around the world.

[Ziggi Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute take on this story, with great artwork and cultural enrichment through the medicine man version of a red jacket Santa. I enjoyed the twists from the common version of a night before Christmas, and would share this with any multi-cultural households that share indigenous roots. What a lovely way to enhance a socio-normative tradition with the heart of undenied tradition alongside. The poring results in a enhancement of this cherished story that stands tall, proud, and strong as its roots.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A snappy redo of the classic night before Christmas

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Native American version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”, great rhyme scheme, glossary, and bright colorful illustrations. One of the better spin-offs of the traditional tale.

[Citri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these rhymes were a total stretch

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. It's 'the Night before Christmas' with words for Native Americans. Santa Claus is called ol' Red Shirt. They have visions of chokecherries in their heads and moccasins were hung in the tepees with care. The reindeer are white buffalo and it's interesting to see flying buffalo. Red Shirt comes down the smoke hole.

I had fun with this. Red Shirt leaves fry bread.

The artwork is nice. It's colorful and has a native artwork hand. It's lovely. The poem worked just as well. A fun time.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

We enjoyed this story. Some of my student's weren't familiar with Twas The Night Before Christmas since many of them don't celebrate Christmas so the connection was kind of lost on them.

A good conversation starter:

- Why is Santa's face red?

- Why do they call him Old Red Shirt?

- How does he go up the smoke hole?

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

TBH, I'm not exactly sure what to think of this one.
While I understand what the author was trying to do, it felt almost as if the verse and the illustrations were caricatures of Indigenous experiences, rather than being respectful of them.
(I realise that I may well have totally misunderstood.)
2.5 stars

[Adam Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy all variations of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, the cleverer the better. This one is pretty good. The art is fabulous. The names of the buffalo are clever and they make for good research. Through glossary provided at the end is a great addition to the book. Makes me want some fry bread.

[Marcyjo Chachakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this classic story with a cultural twist. It also lead to some great discussions about the different things that were referred to in the story.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buffalo 🦬 instead of reindeer and so much more. It’s wonderful!

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red 2nd

Loved the illustrations & I thought the rhymes/retelling was clever & cute.

[Stacey Dalgarn · Rating 5 out of 5]

1

[Margaret]

I really enjoyed this version offering insights based on the First People's culture

[Melinda Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes I know it is March and yes I know this is a Christmas book! I happened across the reading of the story on Native TikTok. Ol red shirt had a sleigh full of commodities! Ha! It is a fun read and the illustrations are perfect!! You can bet I will be ordering this one!