'Twas the Night: Christmas dream-like story

A beautiful sensitive book. This would be a great book to encourage discussion around empathy and diversity. The illustrations are handled with such a lovely sensitivity, the narrative magical and dreamlike.

A beautifully illustrated Christmas book for children. The artwork has a dream like quality and tells us the story of a young child in a wheelchair who finds an injured bird on the streets of the city. The child takes the bird home and nurses it. When the bird recovers it flies away but the child is also given the gift of flight and encounters the wonder of Christmas.

It is a story without words but manages to engage the reader through the beautiful pictures. It is a great one for children and for adults to read to children, because it ignites the imagination. The reader has to find their own word to engage with the story and bring it to life. It is a simple story but definitely a beautiful one.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

No words are necessary. This tale packs a punch with the beautiful artwork!! Kids will definitely identify with the main character.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to put aside a narrative and put the story together without pictures. I loved the art and the over all message of this book. I also enjoyed the nod to Peter Pan! Excellent story that anyone can enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views expressed in this review are strictly my own and not affiliated with any brand.

This is a story for all ages, a Christmas story without words, so it can be ‘read’ by those too young to read, and by all regardless of language. The only words are by the author in their dedication to their children, which is lovely, if sad. The beautiful illustrations share the story.

The setting is a city at night, a story of a young boy in a wheelchair who finds an white dove, injured, on the sidewalk. He brings it home to nurse it back to health. The connection he makes as one whose body has also been impaired reaching out to this other being who has also been damaged is palpable.

The setting of night, especially when they are outside, adds a feeling of darkness, although the streets are filled with stores, some with Christmas decorations, some with windows lit for those window shopping. They are alone on the street, The mood set is a balance of love set against darkness, in an almost dream-like sense.

Once home, he addresses the injuries, and provides food and water, nursing the dove back to health. On his apartment wall, is a picture of Peter Pan, a nod to his desire to fly, himself.
We all have our dreams, and none seem quite so poignant as his dream to fly, to have ‘wings’ - to be able to move on his own.

A lovely story for all, encouraging the reader’s imagination and interpretation, a message of following your dreams, no matter how big they may be.


Pub Date: 19 Nov 2021


Many thanks for the ARC provided by BooksGoSocial

#TwastheNightChristmasdreamlikestory #NetGalley

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy of this book. I really enjoyed this short picture book.They really do say pictures speak a 1000 words and they aren’t wrong. It was quick read but throughout the book u felt as if you were present. The story was easy to follow even without words

Would recommend its really sweet

A creative picture story book that would be great to get kids talking about what they see and what is happening in the story. Colorful artwork with plenty of opportunity to discuss the creator's purposed and message. A pleasant picture book for the Christmas season.

Beautiful! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.
Before diving into the story, the book’s dedication touched my heart.