Iris Van Rynbach

Having recently begun a Christmas carol picture-book project, in which I am attempting to track down illustrated presentations of favorite songs - The Twelve Days of Christmas, Good King Wenceslas, We Three Kings - I was excited to discover this title in my public library system, particularly since I had not been aware that Deck the Halls was a Welsh tune! Unfortunately, the inclusion of that piece of information - that this carol was originally from Wales - is the only thing I really liked about Iris Van Rynbach's book, which takes the lyrics of the song (the contemporary, English lyrics), and pairs them with illustrations depicting a family preparing for and celebrating Christmas.

The artwork here is a little too cartoon-like for my taste - what is up with Dad's creepy-looking mustache? - although I think the bright colors, and the happy activities being depicted might appeal to some child readers. My real disappointment with this one, however, stems from the fact that, despite the intriguing sub-title, there is no author's note, or any information of any kind, about the origin or history of the carol. Why bother labeling this "An Old Welsh Carol," if you aren't going to give any further information? I can see some readers enjoying this one (the sole other reviewer, here on goodreads, seems to have done), but I will be looking for a better picture-book version. Perhaps Sylvia Long's Deck the Hall: A Traditional Carol...?… (mer)