Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1994)
It's Christmas 1859 on a Virginia plantation. The family in the Big House and the slaves in the Quarters prepare for their celebrations. It is a happy time for everyone. Families are united. Feast are prepared. Singing and dancing are seen everywhere. The McKissacks (The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, 1994, etc.) have written a strangely romantic view of a pre-emancipation Christmas. Not that there isn't talk of freedom among the slaves, and of uprising among the whites; it's just not clear why these slaves are unhappy. They are obviously poorer than their masters, but, except for a New Year's Day separation of black family members, plantation life doesn't seem at all bad. Thompson's glowing pictures, depicting well-dressed, healthy slaves and their masters celebrating together do nothing to dispel this impression. Perhaps if the McKissacks had shown the contrast between Christmas and the rest of the year more clearly, rather than assuming that their readers would all understand the evils of slavery, their book might have been more successful. It's tricky to reclaim traditions from an unhappy past. The line between glorifying aspects of slave culture and seeming to ignore the brute evil of slavery is thin. Unfortunately, the McKissacks have stepped over. 1994, Scholastic, $15.95. © 1994 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 1994)
To depict daily life for the two communities living in parallel realities on a Virginia plantation during December, 1859, the authors gained access to primary source materials from Tidewater plantation records and held interviews there to find out more family histories. Wisely setting their text immediately before the outbreak of the Civil War, the McKissacks offer an amazing balance of perspectives while they report the distinctive culture of the Quarters. Showing the misery as well as the dignity of families in captivity, they allow readers to draw their own conclusions. Thompson's detailed paintings rendered in acrylic and reproduced in full-color recreate the season and the buildings as well as some of the individually distinct Afro-centric head-wraps of enslaved women and holiday decorations in the Big House. Both the text and the illustrations move far beyond conventional media-induced images of plantation life. Incomparable in scope, content and emotional impact, this well designed, easy-to-read account furnishes provocative information and offers dynamic year-round reading. Winner, 1994 CCBC Coretta Scott King Award Discussion: Writing. CCBC categories: Historical People, Places And Events; Seasons And Celebrations. 1994, Scholastic, 68 pages, $17.95. Ages 8-13.