You’d think a book called Sad Santa, complete with a morose bearded guy in red on the cover, would be a real downer at the holidays. But fortunately, illustrator and author Tad Carpenter’s story will put a smile on your face. And–spoiler alert–Old St. Nick will be just fine too.
In this wonderfully illustrated picture book, Santa finds himself with a case of the post-holiday blues. The excitement of Christmas is over, and now the kids are busy with all their wonderful toys, leaving Santa with not a lot to look forward to. Those cheery elves do their best with their pep talk (“You checked your list twice. And you didn’t even get a speck of soot on your coat,“) but Santa isn’t buying any of it. Even a trip to the beach with Mrs. Claus doesn’t perk the man in red up.
What does knock him out of his case of the blues is a well-timed letter from a child which injects some purpose back into Santa’s life and reminds him that the spirit of Christmas is one that should last long after the last gift is unwrapped. It’s something I’ll think about when I’m finally taking down the tree.
I love the non-traditional color scheme, especially now when I’ve seen enough green and red to last me to next Christmas, and the cartoon characters are adorable. For those of us who love the silly sweetness of Olive, The Other Reindeer, Sad Santa is a nice book to add to your Christmas book collection if you’re looking for a new addition–or a great last minute gift idea if you’ve got a family with kids to visit this week.
Order a copy of Sad Santa from our affiliate Amazon or find it at your local indie bookstore.
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