The reviewer appreciates the lavishly illustrated edition of A Christmas Carol, which enriches the classic tale with historical context and beautiful artwork. They praise the edition for staying true to Dickens' original work while making it accessible to younger readers.
The reviewer finds it challenging to review a book as well-known as A Christmas Carol, but they highly recommend this particular edition from Tyndale House's Engaging Visual Journey series. The edition is praised for its rich illustrations, historical context, and additional content like Victorian Christmas recipes and biographical essays. The reviewer appreciates how the edition enhances the original story without modernizing it, making it accessible to both new and familiar readers. They also highlight the quality of the illustrations and the thoughtful additions that deepen the reading experience.
Quick quotes
This edition is part of Tyndale House’s “Engaging Visual Journey” series. I have already read, adored, and reviewed their edition of Hannah Hurnard’s allegory, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, which was enriched not only with gorgeous illustrations but also by the addition a biographical essay that invites readers to know Hurnard in her own, first-person words.
I have seen books like this go wrong by trying to make a classic feel more “relatable” or “modern,” but this one does the opposite: every addition serves to place readers in Dickens’s time period rather than trying to translate his story into ours.
And by including these beautifully layered illustrations and large-format pages, this edition simultaneously opens A Christmas Carol up to younger readers without abridging or modifying the text.