How Santa Got His Job

A contemporary, funny, and truly original look at how Santa Claus acquired all the skills that have made him the great success he is today. As a young man, Santa wants no part of desks or offices. His first job is cleaning chimneys, and he is so good at getting up and down them that he never gets dirty. His second position is with the post office, delivering packages--but people dislike his zeal when he continues delivering into the night. Later, he cooks at an all-night diner (he gains a lot of weight), works at the zoo (he loves the reindeer best), and does a stint with the circus, where he meets elves who live "out of town and need someone to deliver toys." And, of course, the rest is history. Children will love the clever way in which the story builds, showing how Santa's diverse background prepared him perfectly for his Christmas Eve duties. Schindler's amusing, detailed ink drawings include full-page and half-page spreads, and are sometimes set in a white box against a background of want ad newsprint, also featured on the end papers. Krensky's spare text makes brilliant use of every word. A jolly choice for reading aloud during the holidays or as a spoof during career-study time. This Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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How Santa Got His Job

The Winter Solstice

Why do the days get shorter in winter and longer in the summer time? This text heavy kids picture book explains it in both scientific and folkloric terms. Children will learn about the ways the ancient Romans, Celts, Scandinavians and other groups marked the changing of the seasons. Younger kids will need it read out loud to them, but a third or fourth grader could not only enjoy it on his/her own, but also use it as a resource for a school report on the solstice. The kids book is a "Children's Choice" selection of the International Reading Association/Children's Book Council. This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 6-10. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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 The Winter Solstice

Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays

It is hard to make sense of this holiday-themed book. The moniker "Auntie Claus," splashed as it is across the cover, is attention-getting. Who is this Auntie Claus? What sort of modern Christmas tale is this, one might wonder? Unfortunately, the story itself disappoints. Sophie Kringle has to decide between being the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker at Miss Crumpet's School for Young Ladies and Gentleman or going on her annual seasonal "business" trip with Auntie Claus. But Auntie Claus does not see it that way. She decides to stay in New York for Christmas because, she says, "You can have your cake and eat it too. At Christmastime that is the rule!" Soon, Auntie Claus seems to be running Christmas from the hotel. Many strange visitors arrive, including the real Sugar Plum Fairy. Initially eschewing sweets, she is coaxed by Sophie to eat some cake and other goodies. Time passes and we are told that "Red is the new black! New York is the new North Pole!" Christmas snow falls, threatening Sophie's performance at her school. The Sugar Plum Fairy has eaten so many sweets that she can no longer fit into her tutu. Sophie feels guilty, knowing that the Fairy could fit into her tutu. It seems a moot concern when the tutu is blown out of her hands and onto the tip of the hotel. Fortunately, Santa arrives and gives Sophie a lift to retrieve her costume. She gives her tutu to the Sugar Plum Fairy so that Christmas in New York is not ruined but then cannot perform in her school play. Auntie Claus proclaims she has the solution to this problem and whisks Sophie off to the North Pole, where she dances around in her coat. It seems the book's inhabitants find this to be a most agreeable conclusion, but I felt it was a muddle. It is hard to see how the solution fits the problem at all, and that is not the only problem with this book. How is it that the adult Sugar Plum Fairy's overindulgence in sweets plumps her out to the size of a very young girl? Was the fairy ridiculously skinny before? Was Sophie unhealthily overweight? What does any of this mean? It must mean that sequels are all the rage. The star of Auntie Claus and its sequel, Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas is back. Odds are good her longtime fans may pick up this title, too. But smart shoppers unfamiliar with this series will stop to read between the covers and will not be adding this book to their holiday traditions. This Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays

Katy and the Big Snow

For over sixty years young children have identified with Katy the snowplow who was always waiting for her big chance to plow her way to fame. For winter after winter, Katy has few opportunities to show off until the year of a big blizzard. Now Katy is challenged to keep chug, chug, chugging her way to rescue the citizens of Geopolis, helping all kinds of stranded people get to the hospital, to the airport, and, of course, to get safely home. This reissue of the kids story in paperback form is fancied up a bit with sparkle on the cover and stickers at the back. Children will certainly enjoy these add ons, but in the end, they are not necessary. It is Burton's tribute to perseverance and her wonderful sketchy drawings that will make yet another generation of children eager to hear the adventures of Katy again and again. This Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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Katy and the Big Snow

A Wish for Elves

As Christmas time approaches, a young boy who is frustrated with all he has to do around the house to get ready for the holiday's wishes he had elves to help him out. At the North Pole, Santa ventures to his workshop to find all of his elves missing. He sets about putting up "missing elf" posters and trying to get the toys ready on his own. Meanwhile, the boy is awakened by his newly acquired elves. He puts them to work cleaning his room, doing the laundry, fixing his breakfast, and doing his homework. But things don't go quite as he planned; his clothes shrink, he gets a D on his homework, and there are just too many elves underfoot. He tries to sell them but doesn't have much luck; instead, he sends some sailing away attached to helium balloons. One elf makes it back to the North Pole, and Santa takes off to retrieve the rest. The boy happily gives them all back, except for "maybe just one or two" and everything gets back to normal just in time for Christmas. The text is very sparse, relying instead on the graphic format paneled illustrations to tell the bulk of the story. Bright, cheerful, geometric computer-generated illustrations in various shades of yellows, reds and greens are just waiting to be imitated in a classroom art or writing project. This Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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A Wish for Elves