But What If There's No Chimney?

by Emily Weisner Thompson, Mandy Hussey, Kate Lampe (Illustrator)

Overview

A "delightful story" about a five-year-old's first Christmas in a new house (Alona Frankel).
Five-year-old Ben has moved into a new home with his father. But there's no chimney! How is Santa going to get in when Christmas comes? Ben asks his dad, his friend, his teacher, his mailman, and even his dog, but no one has a good answer. So he'll just have to write a letter to Santa Claus, Indiana . . .
Inspired by a real town (kids can write to Santa and the elves at P.O. Box 1, Santa Claus, Indiana 47579), this lively storybook also includes appearances by Checkermint the elf, adding extra fun for young readers who can try to spot Checkermint's many hiding places.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253023933
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	12/22/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	25
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	3 Months to 12 Years

About the Author

Emily Weisner Thompson, Executive Director of the Santa Claus Museum & Village, is a historian and author of Letters to Santa Claus (IUP, 2015) and Images of America: Santa Claus.

Mandy Hussey is a freelance writer, and contributor to Indiana University: Portraits of the Bloomington Campus (IUP, 2014).

Kate Lampe is a Graphic Design student at the University of Cincinnati with a focus in illustration and animation.

Read an Excerpt

But What If There's No Chimney?

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By Emily Weisner Thompson, Mandy Hussey, Kate Lampe

Indiana University Press

Copyright © 2016 Indiana University Press
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-253-02393-3

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CHAPTER 1

"I have a new job," said Ben's dad one day, so they moved to a house with a big yard to play.

Ben loved his new home, but he had a new worry — There's no chimney! he thought as the snow started to flurry. "How will Santa get in?" he said to his dad. "It's magic, my son. No need to be sad."

Ben wasn't convinced as he lay wide awake. He turned to his dog, his furry friend, Jake.

"What will Santa do when he lands on our roof?" Jake's ears perked up and he barked,

On the bus the next morning, Ben gave Holly a frown. "Without a chimney, how will Santa get down?"

Holly said, "I know! A magic key!" But Ben wasn't sure just where one could be.

Ben sat at his desk and stared at the wall. "What's wrong?" asked his teacher, Mrs. Hall.

"Magic!" he yelled. "And is there really a key? How will Santa get in when we have no chimney?" "I don't have a chimney," Mrs. Hall said. "But Santa still visits if I stay in my bed."

I'll ask Santa; he seems pretty kind. I'll write that big guy, I'm sure he won't mind.

Ben sat on his bed with his thoughts and a crayon, "Dear Santa," he started, "I'm your biggest fan."

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from But What If There's No Chimney? by Emily Weisner Thompson, Mandy Hussey, Kate Lampe. Copyright © 2016 Indiana University Press. Excerpted by permission of Indiana University Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

Alona Frankel]]>

Miracles and wonders move in their own, mysterious way, in this delightful story.

Alona Frankel

Miracles and wonders move in their own, mysterious way, in this delightful story.

Editorial Reviews

"A sweet picture book for the youngest of readers and listeners."—The Courier-Journal

"The children's picture book was inspired by the thousands of letters addressed to Santa Claus that get sent to Santa Claus, Indiana, each year."—Inside IU

"Miracles and wonders move in their own, mysterious way, in this delightful story."—Alona Frankel, International best-selling author of Once Upon a Potty

From the Publisher

A sweet picture book for the youngest of readers and listeners.

The Courier-Journal

The children's picture book was inspired by the thousands of letters addressed to Santa Claus that get sent to Santa Claus, Indiana, each year.

Inside IU

A timeless and quaint holiday book that captures the Christmas spirit.

Independent Publisher

2016-08-17
A boy named Ben is worried that Santa won’t be able to visit on Christmas Eve because the new house he’s moved to with his father doesn’t have a chimney.When Ben and his father move for his dad’s job, a tiny elf named Checkermint moves in too. Checkermint is hidden on every page of the story, though Ben never interacts with him, and the elf isn’t integral to the plot. Ben worries about Santa’s arrival and discusses the issue with the mail carrier, his new friend, Holly, and his classroom teacher. All the characters are white except for Ben’s teacher, who is black. Ben sends a letter to Santa (in Santa Claus, Indiana, apparently this book’s raison d’être) and receives a reassuring response that Santa won’t forget to visit. The unsatisfying conclusion shows Ben asleep in bed on Christmas Eve prior to Santa’s arrival. The slight story is told in limping verse with a singsong rhythm and near-miss rhymes such as “really a key / have no chimney” and “a crayon / biggest fan.” Ben seems a little too old to be worrying about Santa’s arrival, and the inclusion of Checkermint the elf hiding in a different place each day seems distinctly derivative of the popular Elf on the Shelf toy. Unartful, computer-generated illustrations have a flat affect with a grayish tinge that conveys a depressing atmosphere. An amateurish effort that offers no Christmas magic. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews