what my son is reading tonight

(Someday this will just seem normal, right? I will stop completely spazzing out, and writing poems, and notifying the papers every time I see him curled up quietly with a book, right?)



Santa Claus the World's Number One Toy Expert written and
illustrated by Marla Frazee. Harcourt, 2005 (0-13-204970-3) $16.00

Frazee's distinctive style, which manages to seem simultaneously light and uncluttered yet brimming with action, works wonderfully in this story about how Santa works furiously to find just the right toys for each child. Scenes of Santa busily trying out each toy, moving boxes around in his warehouse. and selecting wrapping paper from the world's most humongous wrap dispensers are filled with humor and charm, as are the scenes of children trying out their wonderful new toys, which are just right... almost all the time. At the end, with his work all finished, Santa goes home to unwrap the special gift he picked out for himself, which is "almost always just exactly what he wanted." A very appealing book for Santa fans. (3-7)