Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Christmas Magic

The Christmas Magic. Lauren Thompson. Illustrated by Jon J. Muth. 2009. Scholastic. 40 pages.

Far, far north, where the reindeer are, there is a snug little house with a bright red door. And in that house lives Santa Claus. 
Every year, just when the nights are longest and the stars shine brightest, Santa feels a tingling in his whiskers.
Then he knows that the Christmas magic will soon be here.

The Christmas Magic is a simple holiday story. Readers meet a Santa that isn't surrounded by elves. A Santa that doesn't have a bustling workshop. (Though I couldn't help wondering if Santa was terribly lonely living so secluded, so all on his own.) Readers are told of Santa's love for children--how he knows them all by name, how love is his only motivation. It was unexpected in a way--refreshing almost--to meet Santa in this way.

I liked it. It was simple and sweet.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

1 comment:

Storied Cities said...

I bought this book at the Brooklyn Museum's Book Fair last year and it has become one of my favorite Christmas books. I absolutely love the illustrations.