By BETTY DEBNAM

51-1 (04)
release dates: Dec. 11-17
TM
TM
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
1
“A Visit From St. Nicholas” is better
known as “The Night Before
Christmas.” Dr. Clement Moore is
usually credited as being the author.
He gave this poem to his children as a
present on Christmas Eve in 1822.
4
2
3
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all
through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a
mouse;
The stockings were hung by
the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas
soon would be there.
5
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the
sash.
The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen
snow,
Gave the luster of midday to objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should
appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny
reindeer;
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they
came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called
them by name—
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer
and Vixen!
“On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and
Blitzen!
The children were nestled all snug in their
beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their
heads.
And Mamma in her ’kerchief and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long
winter’s nap—
When out on the lawn there arose such a
clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the
matter.
6
“To the top of the porch, to the top of the
wall,
“Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane
fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to
the sky,
So, up to the housetop the coursers they
flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas
too.
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
®
51-2 (04); release dates: Dec. 11-17
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Hundreds of ‘Nights’
What things do you like to collect?
Many kids have favorites that might
include items such as dolls, miniature
cars, stamps or cards of some kind.
Elinor Hawkins of Cove City, N.C.,
has a collection that is really enjoyed
at this time of year.
The copyright
When you have a copyright, no one
has the right to copy your work
without getting permission. Dr.
Clement Moore did not get a
copyright for the poem he wrote for
his children in 1822. Anyone can
copy it, although he is usually given
credit as the author.
The collector
Many years ago, when Ms. Hawkins
was studying to become a librarian, a
professor suggested that her students
choose a book to collect different
versions of for the rest of their lives.
Ms. Hawkins picked the children’s
classic, “The Night Before Christmas.”
She has been a very big collector.
Today, she has more than 1,000
different versions of this holiday
favorite.
Photo by Byron Holland of the Sun Journal, New Bern, N.C.
The words
The books
Some versions are handwritten and
have no pictures. Most are illustrated
by different artists. Some are audio
editions. Some are miniature versions
that have to be read with a
magnifying glass. One is in braille.
Others are in sign language.
Ms. Hawkins bought them in
stores and also found some versions
by shopping the Internet. Friends
have given her copies.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
Elinor Hawkins poses with a few of her
hundreds of copies of “The Night Before
Christmas.” She is holding a book that
her mother gave her when she was a
little girl. She later read the book to her
son, and today she reads it to her
grandchildren. She also reads it each
year on her children’s television show,
“Telestory Time,” which is about books
and the fun of reading.
TM
Mini Spy and her friends are glad to see Santa coming down
their chimney! See if you can find: • word MINI • mushroom
• bucket
• key • fish
• comb • lips
• whale
• bell • book
• letter A
• funny face
• letter I
• muffin
• bird • kite
• heart
• letter D
• letter W
Ms. Hawkins often looks at certain
verses to see if the writer has
followed the exact words of Dr.
Moore.
While there aren’t many changes,
check to see the last verse. In
Moore’s version, he wished readers a
“Happy Christmas.” Later authors
wished their readers a “Merry
Christmas.”
Ms. Hawkins also has a collection of
hundreds of Santa dolls and toys.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Brown
t
e
s
s
a
B
TRY ’N
ws
The Ned’s
FIND
Houn
Names and words that remind us of the poem “The Night Before
Christmas” are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden
backward or diagonally, and some letters are used more than once.
See if you can find: MERRY, CHRISTMAS, SAINT, NICHOLAS, SNUG,
CLEMENT, MOORE, SLEIGH, REINDEER, ELF, STOCKINGS, TOYS,
CHIMNEY, TWINKLE, WINK, DIMPLE, PRANCING, SUGARPLUMS,
CHILDREN, DASH, AWAY.
N D Y S R C L E M E N T S C G
READ THE POEM
I I H R A E B K N I W P G H N
ALOUD WITH YOUR
FAMILY!
C M G S R M I S A I N T N I I
H P I C A E T N G N H T I L C
O L E L F D M S D U I O K D N
L E L K N I W T I E N Y C R A
A B S M O O R E I R E S O E R
S M U L P R A G U S H R T N P
Q K A W A Y E N M I H C S B E
TM
Night Before Christmas
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
®
51-3 (04); release dates: Dec. 11-17
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Go dot to dot and color
the star of “The Night
Before Christmas.”
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Plum Cake
You’ll be using an electric mixer for this recipe, so be sure to
get an adult’s help.
• 2 cups self-rising flour
You’ll need:
• 2 (15-ounce) cans of plums,
• 2 cups sugar
drained, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• juice from half a lemon
• 3 eggs
What to do:
1. In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil and spices.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.
3. Add the flour and plums and mix well.
4. In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.
5. Beat plum mixture with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes.
6. Pour cake mixture into a bundt pan (a pan with a hole in the center).
7. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
8. Let cool for 30 minutes, flip onto a plate, and pour on glaze. Serves 12.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Decca/Simon Fowler
Meet Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra, 17, is an international
classical artist. After her performance in a
school Christmas play when she was 6, her
teacher said she had perfect pitch. She told
Hayley that she should play an instrument,
so her parents signed her up for violin
lessons. This is when her love of music began.
Hayley’s first international album is called “Pure.” She
has performed before President Bush, Prime Minister
Tony Blair and even Queen Elizabeth.
Hayley was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. She
and her younger sister, Sophie, both play the piano and
violin. Her younger brother, Isaac, plays the flute. She
enjoys swimming, netball, indoor rock-climbing and ballet.
She also likes reading and listening to music.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
TM
Learn all about
each of the presidents…
• Full-page pictures
• Signatures
• Biographical information
• Dates of presidential terms
• Important achievements
• Stories about the many roles
of the president, the electoral
vote process, political terms,
and a visit to the White House!
All the following jokes have something in common. Can you
guess the common theme or category?
Sheldon: What do you call a group of
flying rabbits?
Tracy: The hare force!
86
George W. Bus
h
To order, send $4.95 plus $2 postage and handling for each copy. Send check or money order (U.S.
funds only) payable to: Andrews McMeel Universal, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS 66206.
Please send _________ copies of The Mini Page Book of Presidents (Item #7807-0) at $6.95
each, including postage and handling. (Bulk discount information available upon request.) Toll
free number 1-800-591-2097. www.smartwarehousing.com
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________________________________
City: ___________________________________________________ State: ____________ Zip: ___________
Kobe: What do you get if you cross a
hippo with a bunny?
Frank: A hop-opotamus!
Pierre: How do rabbits fix their hair?
Ginger: With hare brushes!
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
®
51-4 (04); release dates: Dec. 11-17
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
A Visit From St. Nicholas
7
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little
hoof;
As I drew in my head, and was turning
around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with
a bound.
9
8
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to
his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with
ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his
pack.
His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples,
how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a
cherry;
11
10
He was chubby and plump —a right jolly old
elf;
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of
myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to
dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to
his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with
a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a
whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a
thistle,
But I heard him exclaim ’ere he drove out of
sight,
“MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL
A GOOD NIGHT!”
Make this Mini Page poem into a book:
1. Fold six 8-by-11-inch white pieces of paper in half.
2. Cut out each page in the issue along the dotted lines and
paste each one in order.
3. Staple or punch holes in the fold and tie with red ribbon.
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a
bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as
the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his
teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a
wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl
full of jelly.
12
This art is based on a Christmas
booklet first published in 1864. The
artist was not identified.
The Mini Page is created and edited by
Betty Debnam
Associate Editors
Tali Denton
Lucy Lien
Staff Artist
Wendy Daley
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
Read The Night
Before Christmas
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 51.)
release dates: Dec. 11-17
51-5 (04)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2004 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Standards Spotlight:
The Night Before Christmas
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
This week’s standards:
• Students comprehend and respond to a variety of images and text.
• Students identify forms and elements of literature. (Language Arts: Reading)
• Students describe the way artistic creations serve as expressions of culture. (Social Studies:
Culture)
Activities:
1. Find pictures and words in the newspaper that describe items or people in the “A Visit
From St. Nicholas.” Make a collage to go with the poem.
2. Explore some unusual words in the poem. What do you think these words mean:
sugarplum, sash, courser, peddler, dimple? Ask friends and family members to tell you what
they think the words mean. Then look them up in the dictionary. Who was right?
3. Make a list of the events in the poem that show that St. Nicholas has special powers.
What other special powers do you think St. Nicholas should have?
4. “A Visit From St. Nicholas” is a very famous poem. There have been different versions of the
poem with special themes, such as a cowboy’s night before Christmas and a Cajun night
before Christmas. Think about your community or culture; what is special or unique? Make a
list of food, clothing, places and activities that reflect your community or culture. Now write
several stanzas of your own “Night Before Christmas.” Work with family members or friends
to create your special poem.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 51.)
Supersport: Maria Sharapova
Born: 4-19-87
Native of: Russia
Maria Sharapova is 17 years old and the teen
queen of women’s tennis.
Attractive, talented and poised, Sharapova
caught everybody’s eye when she upset Serena
Williams last summer to win the Wimbledon singles title.
Born in Russia, Sharapova was discovered at age 8 by
tennis legend Martina Navratilova. Maria moved to the
United States, attended a tennis academy in Florida, and
became a star with the looks of a model.
Still a high school student, Sharapova is like many girls
her age. She enjoys fashion, likes to talk on the phone and
spend time on her computer — and enjoys blasting
forehands and backhands.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 51, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.