5 comments about Amahl and the Night Visitors.

1. This gorgeously illustrated storybook has become the favorite part of my Christmas, since I found it 8 years ago. As an elementary music teacher I found this to be a fabulous way to introduce opera to my 4th grade classes. Each year I read the story to them inserting selected vocal works from the opera. This allows the children to hear the words spoken first, preparing them for the selections from the opera.
   I would encourage anyone who wishes to teach their children about opera to purchase this book along with a quality audio recording. Enjoy!



2. The score was complete and arrived within a few days of ordering. It was written clearly and I was able to accomplish the task I wanted without any trouble. It included both vocal soloists and choral parts so that the choir would be able to manage it easily. I was very pleased with my purchase.



3. after purchasing this product, i was never contacted about when or if it was shipped. i was sending it to a relative as a surprise so i couldn't ask if they had received it. i still have no idea what happened to it. i can only assume since i was asked to rate it that it did finally arrive. but, who knows!? needless to say, i will not order from this seller again.



4. This score is excellent for practicing the music and the printing resolution is very good. I'm performing it this fall 08, and is very helpful whether is for the vocal line or for piano (if you can play it because it's complex). There is only one mistake at measure 764 in the vocal line, nothing to worry about. The paper is normal, so there is no need to worry for highlighter or simple marking.



5. Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti is a beautifully written opera. It portrays a wonderful Christmas story of a poor widow and her crippled son who have three kings visit their home on their journey to find the Christ Child. In the end the boy is healed and goes with them on their journey. This is just 45 minutes long and is a great show for the whole family. Anyone in a position to direct and produce this opera should do it. It's wonderful. We just love it and we're considering doing it every year. The world needs its message of love and peace.

5 comments about Father Christmas (Picture Puffin).

1. Do not buy this if you are looking for the original version from British TV. We had recorded that version on a VHS tape and wanted to update to a DVD version. I failed to read others' warnings that this version has been "Americanized" and watered down. The British (cockney) accent, unconventional language, and irreverence are what made the original a family Christmas favorite. This version is only appropriate for the kindergarten set. I am buying a separate replacement from the UK.



2. This was not the UK version with Mel Smith although his name appeared in the catalog but the (inferior in my opinion) US version. Still an excellent story but better with the UK voices.



3. This is a great sequel to the "Snowman". It is a delight & a treat for all ages.



4. I was delighted to find a used copy of this out-of-print book via Amazon. _Father Christmas_ is a classic that truly deserves to be reprinted. The story, told in comic-book style, tells of Father Christmas' present-delivering routine. Apparently, Father Christmas lives perpetually in Britain in the 1940s. He wakes up to the alarm, feeds the animals, gets his own breakfast, uses the toilet (in a discreet and tiny but hilarious drawing that my kids absolutely LOVED), and heads out, mildly grumbling, in terrible weather to deliver presents to children in all sorts of homes, including a lighthouse and even Buckingham Palace. Once the presents are delivered, he returns to a nice meal, presents, and a "grown-up drink" in front of the fire.
   
   In our family, we read one Christmas book a night during advent--I wrap the books like gifts in advance and the kids choose one each night to unwrap and read. In the past I've checked this book out from the library for our celebration, but now we have our very own copy to enjoy.
   
   NB: We have the dvd of a sequel, "Father Christmas on Vacation," and our family did not like that--but we loved the original Father Christmas book.



5. We buy multiple copies and hand them out for Christmas presents to new parents.
   
   The thing is, it is really funny for parents! It kind of has double meaning.
   
   Okay, I confess, this book is a Christmas book for ME!

1 comments about Biscuit's Christmas Eve (Biscuit).

1. Nice little book with cute illustrations. A bit pricey compared to Scholastic book orders from school.

2 comments about One Baby Jesus: A New Twelve Days of Christmas.

1. We turned this beautiful rendition of the twelve days of Christmas into our Childrens Christmas program. It adapted easily to the stage. We made the costumes for 50+ children, and had them build the scene as they sang Pingry's song. The story is beautiful and heartwarming, and puts a reverent emphasis on Christmas that all chldren can relate to; from 2 to 12 years of age.



2. My toddler class absolutely loved this book! I found myself reading it over and over and over to them. They loved the rhythm..they'd even get up and dance while I sang it to them (because hey! you just have to sing it!) I may need to buy a new copy for next Christmas..this one is almost worn out!

1 comments about Christmas in Colonial and Early America (Christmas Around the World) (Christmas Around the World).

1. I always expect that information intended for any World Book publication will be checked and double-checked before anything goes into print. For that reason, it's a great disappointment to discover a glaring error in the first chapter past the introduction of this book.
   
   "Jamestown Colony in Virginia is thought to have been the site of the first Christmas in North America, in 1607," according to the chapter on Christmas in the Colonies.
   
   Saint Augustine, in present day Florida, was founded on August 28, 1565. December 25, 1565 would have been the first Christmas celebration in a permanent settlement. Still, there was an earlier Christmas observance in the New World in 1539 when the army of Hernando de Soto wintered in Florida's Panhandle.
   
   The book describes how settlers from various parts of Europe brought along their Christmas traditions and adapted them for use in the colonies. There are beautiful photographs and delicious-sounding Christmas recipes.

No comments about Running the Dogs.

No comments about When Santa Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho!.

No comments about The Nutcracker Ballet: A Book, Theater, and Paper Doll Fold-out Play Set (Foldout Play Set) (Foldout Playset).

1 comments about An Island Christmas.

1. it's very nice and very interesting it has lots of features
   and it explains a culture it's heartwarming.and very suspensful.

1 comments about Christmas Customs Around the World.

1. With the Christmas season coming in less than three months, it was time for me (a certifiable Christmas nut) to begin reading about my favorite holiday. In "Christmas Customs Around the World", author Herbert Wernecke produced a brief history of the holiday's observances throughout the world and its most cherished symbols. Writing in essence a religious book, Dr. Wernecke makes a good point of injecting a Christian perspective into Yuletide symbols of otherwise pagan origin, and his cheerful writing style gives you the impression that he took delight in writing the book. His coverage of Christmas celebrations in different countries appears to come from varied sources, his favorite being verbatim accounts from Protestant missionaries. Not unexpectedly, some countries are discussed in more detail than others, and information on some lands is quite dated. I also noticed in the narrative what appears to be a slightly condescending attitude towards non-Christians when mentioning Christmas celebrations in mission countries. Dr. Wernecke still succeeds in reassuring the reader of the spiritual joy and true meaning of Christmas amid the crass commercialization of the season. To top it off, he includes at the end of the book a series of interesting Christmas recipes from the different countries he profiled.