Abby Sunshine

A Christmas Carol (Candlewick Edition)

by Charles Dickens, illustrated by P.J. Lynch

Though there are many versions of this tale, I recently purchased this one, a lovely hardcover with good illustrations.

I’m recommending this book strictly due to season and holiday. I don’t know of any dogs in it! If there is a dog in the story, it’s a very minimal role. When you think of England in this time of yesteryear, there must have been some mongrels roaming the streets.

Synopsis

The celebrated P.J. Lynch captures the spirit of Dickens’s beloved tale in a richly illustrated unabridged edition.

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge opens on a Christmas Eve as cold as Scrooge’s own heart. That night, he receives three ghostly visitors: the terrifying spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Each takes him on a heart-stopping journey, yielding glimpses of Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit, the horrifying spectres of Want and Ignorance, even Scrooge’s painfully hopeful younger self. Will Scrooge’s heart be opened? Can he reverse the miserable future he is forced to see? Now in an unabridged edition gloriously illustrated by the award-winning P.J. Lynch, this story’s message of love and goodwill, mercy and self-redemption resonates as keenly as ever.

Annotation

A miser learns the true meaning of Christmas when three ghostly visitors review his past and foretell his future.

Children’s Literature

Here the Christmas story that we all love is presented in its original language with artwork that captures the period and its ghostly theme. The beautiful language is once again a joy to read. Marley’s Ghost warns: “Oh! . . . Not to know that any Christian spirit working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness.” Unusual words of the period such as, negus, Cold Boiled, or bedight, may be looked up or understood in the context. The watercolor and gauche illustrations with smoky spirits and pages tinted with wash draw us into the surreal spirit world. The snowy village with hovering ghosts on the book jacket and the greenish moire book cover with the door knocker of Marley’s head, immediately set the tone. This is a jewel of a book for Christmas giving and family enjoyment.

Biography

Charles Dickens is probably the greatest novelist England ever produced. His innate comic genius and shrewd depictions of Victorian life — along with his memorable characters — have made him beloved by readers the world over. In Dickens’ books live some of the most repugnant villains in literature, as well as some of the most likeable (and unlikely) heroes.

I recommend the Clive Donner (with George C. Scott as Scrooge) as my favorite movie version of this classic. I think they brought out the story almost exactly how I had envisioned it! Great acting, impressive settings and splendid music. . . .