Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien's children. Inside it would be a letter in a strange spidery handwriting (Father Christmas) and a coloured drawing or some sketches. They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole.

This is a really lovely book. What an imaginative man, and what fun for his children. ( )

J.R.R. Tolkien, better known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, used to write and illustrate letters to his children from "Father Christmas." This book contains a selection of those letters, each reproduced on a separate sheet of paper and enclosed in an envelope. The letters describe various misadventures of Father Christmas, his assistant, North Polar Bear, problems with Goblins, etc.

I've been reading the letters with my daughter. She enjoys the novelty of the book of letters, and she thinks the stories are cute and funny. Being a bit more jaded, I think it's nicely done, but probably never would have been published if it wasn't by Tolkien.

If you like this concept of a book of facsimile letters each enclosed in its own envelope, you might also want to look at "The Jolly Postman Or Other Peoples Letters" and "Griffin & Sabine - An Extraordinary Correspondence."

Genre: poetry, historical fiction (collection of letters) Review: It is difficult to define the genre of this book, I am not even sure I would use it in a classroom. It is a collection of letters supposedly written from Santa Clause. They are interesting as fictional writing and they are believable. The letters are believable simply because they see like a proof that Santa Clause is real. ( )

This was a wonderful demonstration of how creative a man Tolkien was, and how great a father. I loved reading these letters, and now I'm very tempted to do something similar with any children I may have. ( )

This is a charming book, full of wonderful illustrations drawn by Tolkien himself. The cast of characters is wonderfully amusing, especially North Polar Bear, who gets into all sorts of mischief every year. There are even descriptions of wars between Father Christmas and the neighboring Goblins, reminiscent of the Goblin wars depicted in The Hobbit and The Silmarillion.

The book is also bittersweet, as it spans almost 20 years, and Tolkien begins to address his letters to fewer and fewer children, until only his youngest, his daughter Priscilla, still awaits her letter from Father Christmas. It shows how his children have grown, and Father Christmas himself seems sad as his children stop believing in Christmas magic. The last letter is especially poignant, as Father Christmas says goodbye to the children.

This is a great book to read during the holiday season, but it can really be enjoyed any time of year. It’s funny, magical, and made me feel like a child again. I recommend this book not only to fans of Tolkien, but to anyone who wants to get into the Christmas spirit. ( )