Santa's Crash-Bang Christmas

Santa is having a very bad night in this hilarious holiday picture book from author Steven Kroll and illustrator Tomie dePaola. Falling out of the sleigh and bumping his nose, forgetting his handkerchief and nose drops, landing in the ashes of the Sylvesters' fireplace, and generally causing chaos in their home—it's a night when nothing goes right. When a stowaway polar bear emerges, it seems that is the last straw. Fortunately, Gerald the elf also stowed away, and has been busy putting everything to rights...

Published in 1977, Santa's Crash-Bang Christmas is a picture book I had never heard of, despite being familiar with the work of both author and illustrator. Then, in my hunt this year for holiday tales from dePaola, I discovered show more it and requested it from my local library. How glad I am that I did, as it was an entertaining romp of a tale, full of humor and ultimately, heart. I found myself chuckling in a few places, as I read, and appreciated the visuals, which have that trademark dePaola style, but also feel a little more muted and vintage (in a good way). I liked the contrast between the sepia and gray-toned backgrounds, and the red of Santa, the white of the polar bear, and the light tan of Gerald. Recommended to anyone looking for humorous Santa stories, or vintage picture books from one or both of these creators. show less

This imaginative story features a Santa Claus having one of those nights when everything goes wrong. Fortunately one of his elves came along for the ride and helps Santa make things merry and bright for all. DePaola's illustrations accompany the story beautifully. Today's readers will enjoy this one just as much as children did in 1977 when it was written. In fact, I think I'm going to take this one with me to read to my great nephews!

Santa is having a rough night and an elf helps keep everything under control.

It's one of those days and Santa keeps banging into things. And how did a polar bear end up in his bag of toys? Ages 5-10.