Review: I've Seen Santa!

I've Seen Santa! by David Bedford. Illustrated by Tim Warnes. Tiger Tales, 2006 (9781589254114) $15.95; 2008 (9781589254114) $6.95 pb

I really got a chuckle out of this story, though I have no idea whether or not little kids will grasp the subtext. Little Bear is very curious about Santa and decides to try and see him--but what he thinks is Santa turns out to be Big Bear drinking Santa's milk! ("I only wanted a sip," says Big Bear.) Next he catches Big Bear eating Santa's blueberry pies ("I was hungry,") and then spies Mommy Bear putting presents in their stockings. ("I was giving you both a present from me," she explains.) Finally the whole bear family lies down in the living room planning to all see Santa together. Since they all fall asleep, they never do get to see Santa--but Santa sees them!

Illustrated in relaxing browns and greens, with friendly, cozy looking bears, this is the sort of warm, family-oriented story that appeals to younger children--but it might also be enjoyed by older kids who are starting to have a few doubts about the reality of Santa, and will appreciate the surprise of the twist at the end. (3 & up)

Other blog reviews:
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

review: Santa Duck

For more seasonal reviews, check out my Winter Holiday Bibliography.




Santa Duck written and illustrated by David Milgrim. Putnam, 2008 (978-0-399-25018-7) $16.99

Need a break from serious or sentimental Christmas stories? Here's one about the true meaning of Christmas--getting stuff! When Nicholas Duck finds a cozy coat and Santa hat on his doorstep, he discovers that every animal he meets greets him as "Santa Duck" and starts giving him a Christmas list: a chicken wants all kinds of flying machines, a rabbit wants a carrot cake--the size of a football field--and a cat yearns for "a mouse and a canary and a trout and maybe a couple of nice, plump hamsters. Better bring some egg nog too." Nicholas tries to get rid of the hat, to no avail, finally running away squealing "leave me alooooone!"--and he runs straight into the real Santa. ("No way!" says Nicholas. "Way" says Santa.)

Nicholas gives Santa everyone else's list, forgetting to give his own. But when he gets home, the note on his door from Santa about what a great help he was makes him so proud, he realizes that "getting to help Santa was the best gift he could get." That is, until he finds an awesome "Santa Duck" car waiting for him the next morning.

With its lively characters and slightly iconoclastic attitude, Santa Duck is full of good kid-friendly humor. In a touch parents will appreciate, some of the characters are shown at the end with gifts that aren't quite as ambitious as those on the lists: the rabbit is perfectly happy with an ordinary sized cake. And for those worried about the cat's list, it is shown walking a small animal on a leash, rather than noshing on it. (4-8)

review: We Love Christmas

We Love Christmas written and illustrated by Marilyn Janovitz. NorthSouth, 2007 (978-7358-2089-0) $9.95

Two kitten-kids enjoy the pleasures of waiting for Christmas in this happy little story. "We like ice. We like snow. We like making tracks wherever we go." "We like cookies. We like cake. We like eating what we bake." At the end of the book, they get into their Christmassy green-and-red pajamas, saying, "We like green. We like red. We like snuggling into bed. We like knowing Santa's near. Oh, we LOVE Christmas--and it's finally here!" Pen & ink and watercolor illustrations show active but uncrowded scenes that are easy on the eyes--that is, until the kittens go crazy getting into the Christmas ribbon! Toddlers will appreciate the repetition in the bouncy rhyming text, and it's short enough not to get boring for adults. In fact, this book makes me wish I still had a toddler to read to. (1-4)

review: Morris's Disappearing Bag by Rosemary Wells

I used to conscientiously not post anything Christmas related until after Thanksgiving... but let's face it, who am I kidding? Or, for that matter, helping?




Morris's Disappearing Bag written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells. Viking, 1999; Puffin, 2001 (978-0-1423-0004-6) $6.99 pb

On Christmas morning, Morris is happy with his present of a stuffed bear--until he finds that none of his three siblings wants to trade and let him try their new toys. Then he finds a package that was overlooked--and in it a Disappearing Bag that turns him invisible! Of course, everyone wants to try that!

This is such a fresh, imaginative take on Christmas morning, with an easily recognizable problem and an ingenious resolution. Wells makes it even more fun by frequently reincorporating the theme of the other three toys as they are traded by the siblings--happily disregarding stereotypical sex roles--and by embellishing the cheerful pictures of chunky rabbit-people with lots of little print motifs; Morris, in mistletoe overalls, is especially adorable. * (3-6)

Guest review by Ben: "I like that a girl got a boy toy."