Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Bayport Public Library | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
This classic holiday book about Santa Claus's young son makes a perfect Christmas gift for boys and girls 3 - 5 years old.
Having Santa Claus for a dad must be amazing! And it is... most of the time. But every Christmas Eve Santa's young son must spend the night alone as his father makes the journey to deliver all the presents. If only there was a way he could be with his dad that night. As fate has it, this year Little Santa gets his chance when Santa takes a tumble and sprains his ankle, and his son must be the one to don the red suit and deliver the gifts. And, with his dad's surprise help, he delivers even more to one special child. This is a beautifully original, heartwarming picture book for Christmas lovers of all ages.
Author Notes
Yoko Maruyama is a self-taught artist who has long loved creating her own picture books. Her work eventually caught the eye of a Japanese publisher, which led to an exhibit at the prestigious Bologna Children's Book Fair.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Every year, a boy spends Christmas Eve alone because his father, Santa, is busy delivering presents. This year, the child makes a wish to spend Christmas Eve with his dad. When Santa injures his foot and is unable to deliver presents, his son volunteers to take on his father's job. The magnitude of his task is captured by how loosely Santa's uniform hangs on his son's small frame. Young ones will delight in Little Santa's first sleigh ride and marvel at a spread showing him steadfastly delivering presents to homes around town. Finally, the reindeer stop at a "small, shabby house-even though there were no more presents left." Inside Little Santa finds a letter from Sara, a dancer, asking for snow on Christmas. Little Santa is downhearted until dad suddenly arrives with North Pole snow. On the way home, father and son discuss the two meanings of the word gift; a present, or better yet, a talent that lasts a lifetime (though a bit didactic, Santa's point is well taken). The illustrations are softly textured, rendered in the understated colors of a Scandinavian winter. -VERDICT While the text is occasionally stilted, young ones will enjoy seeing Little Santa step into his father's hard-to-fill boots. -Shanna Kim, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Santa's son laments spending Christmas Eve alone while his father is away delivering presents in this moody holiday story from newcomer Maruyama. Early on, she shows the shaggy-haired boy sitting alone at the dining room table; the image, which resembles a very lonely holiday photo, is labeled, "Me last year." (Mrs. Claus isn't around in Maruyama's story.) When Santa, whose face is concealed throughout, falls and hurts his ankle, the boy delivers gifts in his place. His journey includes a meaningful stop at a "small, shabby house" where a young dancer named Sara only asks for snow. Maruyama's shadowy illustrations are as enigmatic as the story's message. "Some gifts wear out after a year or two, but the gift Sara has is limitless," Santa tells his son, perhaps referring to her understanding that material possessions aren't as important as one's dreams. Ages 3-5. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
When Santa breaks his ankle on Christmas Eve, his child, our narrator, takes his place. At the end of the night the child has delivered all the presents but, confoundingly, still has one last house to visit. The girl who lives there wishes for a white Christmas. Santas stand-in is stumped; fortunately, the man himself arrives with a sack full of snow from the North Pole. Although the plot of this Japanese import goes a bit off the rails, the art--textured and atmospheric, in a mix of evocative landscapes and cozy domestic scenes--is gorgeous; the narrators voice is affecting; and the closeness between father and child may bring a lump to ones throat. martha v. parravano (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When an injury sidelines Santa Claus, his child takes his place. While the young narrator is proud to have Santa for a dad, it means every Christmas Eve is spent alone. This year, the narrator, a white child of about 10 or 11 in Scandinavian sweater and household slippers, wishes on the first star to spend Christmas Eve with Dadso when Dad trips and falls readying the sleigh, the child is seized with guilt. Since only family members can work the reindeer, the narrator volunteers. (Santa appears to be a single father, and there are no siblings in evidence.) With respect for Dad increasing at every stop, the child makes the rounds till the sack is emptybut the reindeer stop at one last house, where a young dancer sleeps, a letter to Santa tucked in a stocking. It asks for snow, which the narrator can't provide, but Santa, who suddenly appears with crutch and bandaged foot, can, and all ends well. While the end of this quiet tale is forced, it still offers a glimpse of Santa's private life children will likely relish. Maruyama's illustrations have the look of Marla Frazee's in The Farmer and the Clown (2014), in both palette and line. Understated humor charms: anxious reindeer peer in the window as the doctor visits; Dad's suit hangs limply on his much-smaller child. If plotting stumbles a bit, both concept and illustrations soar. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
