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. (Ages 8-13)

The year is 1859, and it's Christmastime on a Virginia Plantation. The slaves are setting up the Big House -- where their masters live -- for the festivities. The Big House is filled with warmth, colorful decorations, and delicious food... but there is talk of war and a sense that times may be changing. In the quarters -- where the slaves live conditions are poor, dirty, and cold, but the slaves are filled with hope for better times ahead, and they sing songs of freedom.

Moving deftly between two worlds, this beautifully illustrated book by award-winning authors Patricia and Fredrick McKassick is a rich historical tale as well as a holiday treat.