This book is one of my all time favorites and I truly love it. I like it because of its rhyme structure, which encourages an upbeat meter. It is written with two unaccented syllables, followed by an accented syllable, which makes the reader read it with an inflection that goes upward, therefore encouraging a happy, upbeat rhyme. I also like this book because of its illustrations. The pictures are rich with detail, and include everything and more from the text. By including so many details, the reader is just as engaged in them as in the text. The main idea of this book is to spread the cheer, joy, and meaning of Christmas. ( )

In this poem, a child experiences what many children dream of; being able to see St. Nick in his work on the night before Christmas. It describes the way the child arose and what was seen. Although the child was dreading what would happen if St. Nick noticed him, his dreads disappeared when St. Nick smiled and winked at him.

I really like this poem. It has always been a childhood favorite and it is easy for the children to use their imaginations as if they were the ones that saw St. Nick. The rhyming helps it to become memorable and some are even able to recite it word for word.

This poem can be read to students around Christmas time to enhance the spirit of Christmas or even to express the ideas of one culture, even if the whole class was not raised on this belief. Also, the poem could be used during a lesson on poetry and rhyming.