On the day of Christmas Eve 1822, Clement Clarke Moore struggled to write a surprise story for all his children. While he was traveling to Manhattan from his farm, Chelsea, many ideas ran through his head. What would his children like more? A poem or a Christmas story? The final surprise has become a beloved classic for the holiday season, The Night Before Christmas. Based on research, this telling of how the poem came to be, along with the poem itself is illustrated in exuberant detail by Delana Bettoli. This illuminating treat is bound to become a classic in its own right.