Review by Kirkus Book Review
Poor Santa Claus suffers from post-Christmas letdown in this amusing and unusual look at the motivation behind Santa's drive to make everyone happy with their gifts. On December 26, Santa takes to his bed with a bad case of the blues. The elves and reindeer try unsuccessfully to cheer him up, and finally, Mrs. Claus takes him away for a beach vacation. His depression continues, as Santa feels out of place and unneeded until he receives his first letter of the year, from a boy requesting presents for his parents and brother. With a renewed sense of mission, Santa returns to the North Pole to get started on "extra-special" gifts for the next Christmas season. Though the tone of the text is light and humorous, Santa's concluding thoughts about the spirit of the season--"giving, caring and living as if it were Christmas every single day of the year"--elevate the story to something more substantial. Punchy illustrations stand out with simple shapes and a limited palette of red, aqua and brown printed on thick, tan paper with the look of brown-paper grocery bags. Feeling sad after Christmas is a worthwhile concept for discussion with children, and Santa's transformation to busy and energized provides a subtle lesson for the post-Christmas season. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
