With poetic vividness and an incomparable memory for the feelings of children, Margaret Wise Brown catches the not-being-able-to-wait intensity of the night before Christmas. 

It is Christmas Eve. The children have been in bed for hours. But they can't sleep. "Let' go down and touch the tree. . ."

So, slowly past the closed door of their parents' room, and quietly, step by step, down the pine-scented stairs, the children tiptoe stealthily—to touch the tree and "make a wish".

Then at last, through the door they see the glittering tree, and as they stand marveling at the packages and bulging stockings, come the voices of the carolers bringing tidings of comfort and joy.

And now with joy in their thumping hearts, the children creep slowly back to their warm beds to await the day itself.

Beni Montresor's illustrations capture the color, the flavor, the stillness—all the magic and wonder of Christmas Eve.

Together the words and pictures make this book a wonderful prelude to Christmas and an equally wonderful remembrance when it has passed.

From the dust jacket