"Many Christmas symbols are very old and date to before there even was a Christmas! Elves, however, were likely introduced to the mythology of Santa Claus in the 1820s with the famous poem, "The Night Before Christmas." In this book, beginning readers trace these first mentions of elves to the modern-day "Elf on a Shelf" craze. Full-color photographs and historical illustrations complement the accessible content and bring the history of Christmas elves to children who may be waiting to see if their elf has moved in the night." -- amazon.com