My True Love Gave to Me ─ Twelve Days of Christmas

From a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming, a beautifully illustrated celebration of the most festive time of the year.

One of the most popular holiday songs of all time, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" probably originated in France during the late Middle Ages and became popular in England as a chant sung without music. The 12 days are traditionally those following Christmas, with the last day being the end of the season. Over the years the lyrics have changed but the song remains a perennial favorite, recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Alvin and the Chipmunks.

My True Love Gave to Me is an exquisitely illustrated edition of the song's famous lyrics, featuring the art of Scott McKowen, an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer. Each "day" is accompanied by a richly detailed-and often whimsical-full-page scratchboard illustration of its grand and unusual gift.

Populated by a partridge, turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, golden rings, geese, swans, maids a-milking, ladies dancing, lords a-leaping, pipers piping and drummers drumming, My True Love Gave to Me makes a perfect gift for yourself and those you love.

Scott McKowen is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer of books, magazines and theater posters. He is the illustrator of the Sterling Unabridged Classics series (34 titles) and received international praise for his illustrations of Neil Gaiman's eight-part graphic novel, 1602. In 2009, Firefly Books published A Fine Line: Scratchboard Illustrations by Scott McKowen. Born and raised in Michigan, he is based in Stratford, Ontario, where he operates his small design studio, Punch and Judy Inc., which creates theatre posters and graphics for leading performing arts companies across North America.