Then, one morning she woke up with a brainstorm.
“I realized nothing was happening inside the house, but maybe something could be happening outside the house,’’ Brett said. “The elves could run away and sneak onto the sleigh. That’s what I would do if I had to make toys all day.’’
Brett’s interpretation of “The Night Before Christmas,’’ was first published in 1998, featuring a pair of stowaway elves who have a field day with the toys while Santa’s back is turned. But though Brett is a traditionalist when she comes to children’s books, the multimedia universe beckoned. It was time, she said, to expand her “creative universe.’’
Brett, 61, happens to be married to Boston Symphony Orchestra bass player Joe Hearne who is also her savvy business manager and the mastermind behind what BSO managing director Mark Volpe refers to as Brett’s “book empire.’’ (This includes more than 37 million books in print; a tour bus wrapped in artwork from her books; and a prodigious website with hundreds of activities.)
In 2010, Hearne got the idea of projecting Brett’s artwork over the stage in the Holiday Pops performances of “The Night Before Christmas.’’ This year, he asked the BSO to consider a book and DVD project with Brett’s publisher, Penguin Young Readers Group. As they talked, the idea kept getting bolder. The Boston Pops would play the original music. The book would feature Brett’s illustrations as well as an interview and studio tour. Jim Dale, who recorded the Harry Potter audio books, would be the narrator. Then came the animated interactive app for iPads and iPhones. Thus, “Jan Brett’s The Night Before Christmas Deluxe Book & DVD edition’’ was born.
The Boston Pops will perform “The Night Before Christmas’’ at all their holiday concerts, from Dec. 7-24.
“Joe is a different bass player, and he’s one of those guys whose mind never stops,’’ Volpe said. “He’s a very astute business guy. They’re a Mom-and-Pop shop. I can’t imagine one without the other.’’
