Dear Santa: For Everyone Who Believes in the Magic of Christmas

by Sourcebooks, Susanna Leonard Hill, John Joseph (Illustrator)

Overview

This season, add a new classic to your holiday collection with this heartwarming Christmas picture book about a little boy who learns there's more to Christmas than being on the naughty or nice list.

Dear Santa, Let me explain…Parker knows he is definitely not perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and it's tough being a kid! So when Ms. Holly asks the class to write their letters to Santa, Parker gets nervous. Why are all of his friends telling Santa how perfect they are? Santa knows if you've been bad or good… It's best to be honest. Right? Parker hands in his honest letter and hopes that Santa will understand. When Christmas morning arrives, Parker finds a big surprise under the tree—and a letter from Santa!

The perfect holiday stocking stuffer or Christmas gift book for ages 4-7, this heartwarming and interactive story will delight kids, parents, grandparents, and caregivers alike! Includes special stationery to write your own letter to Santa. PLUS, get a FREE PERSONALIZED letter from Santa!

BONUS: Kids can write a letter to Santa using the festive holiday-themed stationery included in every book. Parents can also visit Put Me In the Story for a FREE downloadable personalized letter from the desk of Santa Claus, or get a letter and official 'Nice List' certificate sent in a magical envelope all the way from the North Pole! It's never been easier to make your child's Christmas wishes come true than with this activity for kids!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492694748
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Susanna Leonard Hill is the New York Times bestselling author of Moon’s First Friends, as well as many other award-winning books for children. She does frequent school and library visits, teaches picture book writing, and offers picture book critiques. She lives in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley with her children and two rescue dogs.

John Joseph’s passion for art appeared at an early age while living in Orlando, Florida. It was very rare that you would spot him without a pencil and sketchbook, creating stories and drawing away. John Joseph’s love of art continued throughout his education; you could say that John has never really left school, as he graduated and went straight back to elementary school to teach visual arts. He is constantly inspired by the imagination of his students and often includes them in his stories and illustrations—but the best part is the several months he has off throughout the year to play with his family in the Colorado mountains and create lots of art!

Editorial Reviews

10/07/2019

Instructed to write a letter to Santa, brown-skinned Parker’s classmates exaggerate good deeds, but he is truthful, aware that “Santa knew when kids were bad or good.” He confesses to various infractions: he fed his brussels sprouts to the dog, he didn’t brush his teeth “for eleven days” because two were loose, and he stayed up past bedtime to make his mother a birthday card. His honesty pays off on Christmas morn, when Parker discovers everything on his wish list under the tree—along with a letter from Santa praising him for admitting to, and taking responsibility for, his mistakes. Underscoring Hill’s upfront message, similarly straightforward digital cartoons by Joseph animate Parker and his peers, who (despite missing teeth) might be slightly older than the average Santa believer. Reproducible, festively bordered blank pages for kids to write their own letters to Santa wrap up this mild holiday tale. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-07-28
A self-reflective child reaps rewards on Christmas morning.

Parker (who presents as a black boy with brown skin and Afro-textured hair in digital illustrations that have an aesthetic right out of current television animation) is nervous when his weekend art teacher, Ms. Holly, assigns the class to write a letter to Santa. Classmates (at least three of whom seem to be children of color while the teacher appears white) write letters extolling their own virtues and denying wrongdoing. In his letter, however, Parker decides to be honest about times he's been naughtier than nice. His acknowledged misdeeds are utterly benign or grounded in good intentions, and the accompanying illustrations show him interacting with his parents as he recalls behavior infractions throughout the epistolary section. Parker's mother appears black with the same skin tone as his while his father appears white, and this centering of a biracial child of color in an interracial family is notable among the many Christmas books with white protagonists. Ms. Holly mails the letters, and Santa (depicted as white, though elves are depicted with a range of skin tones) is moved by Parker's words. He rewards him with all the gifts on his list, a step that may ring false to less-fortunate kids, including those who use the backmatter letter-writing template to write to Saint Nick themselves.

Inclusive in some ways but not others. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews