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Summary
Summary
Dozens of tiny fairies guide Santa Claus to the home of a little girl who lives in a house without a chimney.
Summary
Her family's new, organized schedule for easy housekeeping makes Anastasia confident that she can run the household while her mother is out of town, until she hits unexpected complications.
Reviews (10)
School Library Journal Review
Colored-pencil drawings in muted shades tell this wordless story of a little girl whose Christmas is aided by fairies as well as by Santa Claus. The dedication ``to chimneyless children everywhere'' justifies the helping fairies , but readers don't see that the house lacks a chimney until well into the story. A fairy tucks the girl's letter to Santa in her belt and opens the outside door to other fairies who borrow candles to light the way for Santa's sleigh to land. At the girl's bedside, Santa nearly blows his cover when he drops a gift and the sleeping girl awakes to enjoy her presents by herself, an act that some children may find very curious. While this story lacks the poignancy and excitement of Raymond Briggs' wordless classic, The Snowman (Random, 1986), it has its own quiet charm, especially for little girls who will admire the fairy's bridelike dress and the cozy tree cottage to which she returns at the story's end. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
``This book is dedicated to chimneyless children everywhere,'' reads this book's copyright page--the only words in the entire, captivating story. Collington ( Little Pickle ; The Angel and the Soldier Boy ) has chosen instead to illustrate his fanciful twist on a familiar tale with 140 pictures--each delightful on its own, and positively enchanting in sum. Having penned her letter to Santa, a girl goes to sleep on Christmas Eve--and the magic begins. A tiny fairy confiscates the letter and, finding the door key, admits a band of her winged colleagues. Using candles from the tree, they form a radiant runway for a grizzled St. Nick, who enters via the front door and ascends a candle-lit staircase. As the fairy leader checks off the items, Santa diligently unpacks the requested presents and then trudges off into gently falling snow. The muted tones and intricately lined figures imbue this holiday fantasy with a comforting, old-fashioned flavor. Like the exhausted fairy, seen in the final painting sprawled in an armchair in her tree-trunk aerie, children will believe that this holiday mission has been splendidly performed--ditto Collington's accomplishment. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Tiny fairies, each holding a candle, light Santa's way to a chimneyless house in this softly colored, wordless tale. The exquisite drawings in colored pencils and the arrangement of several scenes in varied sizes on each double-page spread inject surprise as the story unfolds. A beautiful celebration of the magic of this special night. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
From the gifted creator of The Angel and the Soldier Boy (1987), another wordless story: a tiny fairy and her kin light the way so that Santa can find the mocking of a little girl whose house has no chimney. Varied frames and points of view, deftly chosen, exquisitely crafted detail, and handsome design make this a charming holiday treat. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ages 5-8. Collington's finely textured drawings are mesmerizing as they tell a wordless story of a little girl who writes a letter to Santa but wonders just how he'll get into the house since there is no chimney. How does he? Readers will see in Collington's vision that Santa's helpers aren't only elves; here a tiny fairy and her friends use Christmas tree candles to light the path to the little girl's house. When Santa touches down, he walks right through the open front door to leave the girl's gifts. There's a little excitement when she awakens and nearly sees Santa, but the fairy casts her magic to put the girl to sleep once more, and Santa leaves undetected. The pictures are meticulous and refined as they create a private nighttime world as mysterious as any Christmas magic. A charming, artfully told tale that captures the imagination. ~--Denise Wilms
School Library Journal Review
Colored-pencil drawings in muted shades tell this wordless story of a little girl whose Christmas is aided by fairies as well as by Santa Claus. The dedication ``to chimneyless children everywhere'' justifies the helping fairies , but readers don't see that the house lacks a chimney until well into the story. A fairy tucks the girl's letter to Santa in her belt and opens the outside door to other fairies who borrow candles to light the way for Santa's sleigh to land. At the girl's bedside, Santa nearly blows his cover when he drops a gift and the sleeping girl awakes to enjoy her presents by herself, an act that some children may find very curious. While this story lacks the poignancy and excitement of Raymond Briggs' wordless classic, The Snowman (Random, 1986), it has its own quiet charm, especially for little girls who will admire the fairy's bridelike dress and the cozy tree cottage to which she returns at the story's end. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
``This book is dedicated to chimneyless children everywhere,'' reads this book's copyright page--the only words in the entire, captivating story. Collington ( Little Pickle ; The Angel and the Soldier Boy ) has chosen instead to illustrate his fanciful twist on a familiar tale with 140 pictures--each delightful on its own, and positively enchanting in sum. Having penned her letter to Santa, a girl goes to sleep on Christmas Eve--and the magic begins. A tiny fairy confiscates the letter and, finding the door key, admits a band of her winged colleagues. Using candles from the tree, they form a radiant runway for a grizzled St. Nick, who enters via the front door and ascends a candle-lit staircase. As the fairy leader checks off the items, Santa diligently unpacks the requested presents and then trudges off into gently falling snow. The muted tones and intricately lined figures imbue this holiday fantasy with a comforting, old-fashioned flavor. Like the exhausted fairy, seen in the final painting sprawled in an armchair in her tree-trunk aerie, children will believe that this holiday mission has been splendidly performed--ditto Collington's accomplishment. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Tiny fairies, each holding a candle, light Santa's way to a chimneyless house in this softly colored, wordless tale. The exquisite drawings in colored pencils and the arrangement of several scenes in varied sizes on each double-page spread inject surprise as the story unfolds. A beautiful celebration of the magic of this special night. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
From the gifted creator of The Angel and the Soldier Boy (1987), another wordless story: a tiny fairy and her kin light the way so that Santa can find the mocking of a little girl whose house has no chimney. Varied frames and points of view, deftly chosen, exquisitely crafted detail, and handsome design make this a charming holiday treat. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ages 5-8. Collington's finely textured drawings are mesmerizing as they tell a wordless story of a little girl who writes a letter to Santa but wonders just how he'll get into the house since there is no chimney. How does he? Readers will see in Collington's vision that Santa's helpers aren't only elves; here a tiny fairy and her friends use Christmas tree candles to light the path to the little girl's house. When Santa touches down, he walks right through the open front door to leave the girl's gifts. There's a little excitement when she awakens and nearly sees Santa, but the fairy casts her magic to put the girl to sleep once more, and Santa leaves undetected. The pictures are meticulous and refined as they create a private nighttime world as mysterious as any Christmas magic. A charming, artfully told tale that captures the imagination. ~--Denise Wilms
