A Christmas Carol

October 1, 2003
Bah, humbug! Just in time for the holidays, actor Jim Dale reads a new, unabridged version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It's a natural extension for Dale, who is the voice of the Harry Potter audiobooks and who also takes the stage in New York City later this month as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol: The Musical. The audiobook, for which Dale created 23 voices, is available on both CD and cassette. Watch for Dale as Scrooge on a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, too.

Starred review from August 27, 2007
Dickens's classic holiday tale, like many cultural touchstones, often falls into the trap of perennial reinterpretation. First aired in 1990 but only now available on CD, NPR's presentation serves to place the familiar story back in its historical context. NPR News anchor Susan Stamberg's introduction, along with background information in the liner notes, offers valuable insights regarding both Dickens's gritty backdrop and his role in reviving Christmas traditions otherwise forgotten amid rapid urban industrialization. The script being performed is the same one Dickens used to use at readings. Comedy legend Winters, who serves as narrator while also performing all of the male roles, juggles his duties seamlessly and demonstrates remarkable dramatic range. His portrayal of Scrooge before the ghostly visitations evokes discernable pain and loss beyond the over-the-top antics of an ogre figure. Veteran actress Mimi Kennedy voices the female parts with gusto. With its quality production, attractive price and one-hour length, this release offers the perfect gift and establishes a festive new annual ritual for families to share.

October 26, 2009
Helquist's vision of the classic story depicts a hawkish Scrooge (who's a cadaverous shade of green) against a backdrop of bustling Victorian streets, with pleasing touches of detail, humor and a few frightful strokes. When the clock strikes one, announcing the arrival of the first ghost, the moon hangs in an unholy green sky, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come stands in a tattered cloak, surrounded by eddying mists (but also draped with strings of Christmas lights). The eye-catching art makes a strong pairing to the accessible abridgment of Dickens's text. Ages 5–up.

Starred review from December 21, 2009
This reissued recording of Stewart's touted Broadway performance might prove to be the enduring interpretation of Dickens's beloved tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of past, present, and future who catalyze his transformation. In a production stripped of sound effects, Stewart's theatrical talents take center stage. Reading with a voice that it is at once commanding and fragile, he creates a Scrooge of unexpected complexity and pathos. A spare and dazzling listen that might be the best rendition of the classic since the 1951 Alistair Sim production.

September 1, 2001
Lisbeth Zwerger's glorious watercolors for Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, first published in 1988, once again prove that she is as adept at creating the terrifying image of Christmas Yet to Come as she is showing the miraculous transformation of Scrooge.

September 29, 1986
Purists may object to this careful abridgement of the holiday classic, aimed at young readers who may not have someone around to read the original out loud. Mayer has retained much of the language of Dickens's work, making sensitive cuts in the text and adding lavish paintings of 19th century England. The charactersmice, rabbits, a reptilian Ghost of Christmas Yet to Comewill draw the youngest pre-Dickensian into the story. The gloomy mood of Scrooge's Christmas Eve gives way to warm, welcoming tints the morning after he is visited by the three Spirits and has learned his lesson. It's a charming alternative to most of the TV adaptations that appear throughout December. (All ages

November 3, 1988
A well-loved holiday story, Dickens's slim tale has been opened up on the oversize pages of this new version, similar in format to Zwerger's treatment of The Gift of the Magi. Expanses of white space around and between lines of text give the volume a clean-looking design, which sets off the artist's charm-filled, airy watercolors. And that design is of key importance to the unabridged text, for the book appears accessible to readers just out of the picture book age. This is a fine collector's edition as well; Zwerger has chosen not to represent the three spirits of Christmas, but merely hints at their presence in her pictures. That grounds the story of Scrooge's night firmly in the realm of the almost-real and the possible, and renders his transformation a fully believable phenomenon. Ages 10-up.

August 29, 1990
Few of the many interpretations of Dickens's holiday parable can match this handsome edition for atmosphere, mood and sheer elegance. Innocenti's full-page watercolors are striking, full-bodied evocations of 19th-century London, particularly the life and vigor of the city's streets: merchants sell their wares, urchins tumble and play, the gentry ride in their carriages, and the destitute huddle in doorways and keep warm at makeshift stoves. At the same time, the paintings' realism, dramatic intensity, occasional luminosity and almost microscopic observation of detail strongly recall the exquisite art of the Italian Renaissance. Their stateliness is carried through in the book's design: each page of text is boxed with fine sepia rules, overlaid with a delicate, gradually fading wash, and topped by a single, modest ornament. The effect suggests an old manuscript or parchment--one that, every so often, opens a splendid pictorial window on the world of this classic narrative. For all its elegance, however, this is a somber and unsentimental view of Dickens's world. The beautiful and the sordid, the good and the malevolent, are never far apart--a concept that is powerfully suggested through the frequent use of high, oddly angled perspectives, as if readers, along with Scrooge and the spirits, are privy to telling glimpses of life skimmed from above. All ages.

January 1, 2002
This attractive gift book features a smooth abridgment accompanied by detailed paintings. Although the illustrations are rich and lush, there is a lack of emotion in the characters, particularly Scrooge. Occasional discrepancies between art and text are sure to be noticed by sharp-eyed readers.

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 1990
Afterword by Peter Glassman. Goodrich's misty watercolor and colored-pencil artwork complements the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge's encounters with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. Adapted from Dickens' personal copy of the novel, which contains the markings he made when shortening the tale for oral presentation, the text preserves the vital elements of the story in a read-aloud version.

(Copyright 1990 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2010
This simplified version of Dickens's classic Christmas story is accessible for a picture book audience. The text loses much of its richness in the abbreviation, but children may find it a useful (if pallid) introduction to the story's events. Illustrator Helquist (A Series of Unfortunate Events) uses sharp angles and saturated colors to create a spooky Victorian ambiance.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 15, 2009
Grades 3-5 Pairing a text shortened enough to be read in a single session with gasp-inducing illustrations, this rendition of the classic tale is well suited for reading aloud to younger audiences. Opening with an attention-getting MARLEY WAS DEAD in block letters, the narrative moves forward without long-winded descriptive passages and inessential details but with the originals sonorous tone intact: The Spirit answered not, but pointed onward with its hand. The illustrations follow suit with full-page or full-spread scenes of a pared-down human cast in carefully drawn Victorian settings, led by a silver-haired Scrooge whose scowl and sharply chiseled nose perfectly capture his ill humor. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and To Come are particularly notable presences (the last could double as a Dementor), appearing suddenly and towering over the terrified miser as they guide him through what was, is, and very well could be unless he mends his ways. Which he does, of course, and is last seen happily squiring the newly nimble Tiny Tim and an unnamed Cratchit daughter home.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

September 1, 1996
Gr. 5 and up, younger for reading aloud. There's a new version of "A" "Christmas Carol" on every holiday list, but this one is special. It is Dickens' own performance text, cut and adapted by him for reading aloud in 90 minutes. All the great lines are here (well, almost all), including Scrooge's ever contemporary advice on what to do with the poor ("Are there no prisons?" ). The book's spacious design, with thick paper, clear type, and 21 sepia-tone illustrations done in watercolor and colored pencils, is great for group sharing. The pictures are comic and scary but never overwhelming. They pick up the theatrical, larger-than-life scenarios: the brooding, scowling miser alone at his desk; the ghostly visitors; the Cratchit family ecstatic over Christmas dinner. ((Reviewed Sept. 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)

Starred review from October 1, 2009
Gr 3 Up-Dickenss cautionary tale of an embittered, stingy old man learning to be a happier, more giving person thanks to the intervention of four ghosts has long been fodder for holiday collections. From its stark opening spread (MARLEY WAS DEAD) to the final one with its much more cheerful winter scene, this years version, illustrated in Helquists darkly comic style, is one of the best. Some of that credit must go to Greenhut, who provided the abridgment. Sacrificing none of Dickenss rich language, this retelling reads beautifully. The artist uses watercolor, pencil, and pastel to create cinematic artwork that contains amusing details; additionally, there are a number of pen-and-ink vignettes that help set the scenes. A winning combination of sparkling prose and exciting art."Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.