Santa’s First Christmas
by Mac Barnett; illus. by Sydney Smith
Primary    Viking    40 pp.
10/24    9780593524978    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593524985    $10.99

“Santa doesn’t do anything special” for Christmas?! The elves are embarrassed not to have thought about it before: after a night of delivering toys, Santa just sleeps in an extra half hour and then gets back to work. This Christmas morning, the elves surprise their boss with breakfast in bed. Then they all chop down a “handsome spruce,” hang lights around the North Pole, and bake cookies for “you know who.” There are stockings, presents (delivered by a polar bear in a Santa suit), carols, and a Christmas feast. Barnett’s wry text is full of affection for his characters, and Smith’s rich watercolor and gouache illustrations infuse both the outdoor North Pole and interior scenes with good cheer.

From the ">November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.