In the big, quiet house where parents are sleeping, the children wait and listen, thinking of reindeer and angels and stars. Then, with no sound but there own thumping hearts, the children creep downstairs to see the glorious tree and to make a Christmas wish.

Margaret Wise Brown's magical story captures all the wonder and mystery of a child's Christmas Eve. Nancy Edwards Calder's exquisite paintings highlight all the details that make this night so special.