Julie Sykes

Oh, no! It’s Christmas Eve and Santa is sound asleep! The little mouse tugs at his beard to wake him; Santa hurries to get dressed. But when he gets outside, there are no reindeer to harness. He searches the woods for the reindeer, but only finds four of them? Will four reindeer be enough to pull Santa’s sleigh? Will there be toys under the Christmas tree for the Little Ones on Christmas morning?

And what is Santa’s surprise?

Three-year-olds and up are the target audience for this story. Santa bumbles and bustles his way through a variety of silly antics on his way to getting the presents delivered to all the children; young readers who feel rushed and hurried will appreciate Santa’s misadventures as he tries to deliver the toys. In its own comical way, the story shows young readers that everyone has difficult moments. And the reindeer giving Santa a gift at the end of the story is just plain sweet [and a lesson for young readers in giving to others].

The artwork is colorful and clever: the cat’s antlers have tiny fish dangling on them; the reindeer are having a snowball fight. There’s more than enough frenzy, energy, and chuckles to make this a holiday treat for young children expectantly waiting for Santa to appear.

Recommended.… (more)