Young Santa - Hardcover

Santa wasn't always a fat old man; here at last is the story of his youth and early career. Born in Sioux City to Sophie and Milton (a door-to-door icebox salesman) and named after Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa initially found life at the North Pole tough sledding: same-day laundry service could take as long as six months. To help pay for a new sleigh powered by eight used but powerful tiny reindeer, he went to work a local toy store, where--after a few false starts (``Sit down on a big chair and [ask] all the little kids to climb up in your lap and tell you what they had for breakfast'')--he was a brilliant success. It's all here: where he got the red outfit, why he didn't shave, how he gathered up all the unemployed elves (there's not much demand for shoes at the Pole) and opened a toy factory, what got him into the delivery business, even the circumstances behind his unorthodox method of entering houses. Miller provides several simply drawn cartoons in black and red. Santa says, ``Merry Christmas to all, and to all- -uh...have a nice day!'' (Fiction. 9-13) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

At last, here is the answer to that timeless question of how Santa Claus came to be. Greenburg ( The Bed Who Ran Away from Home ) describes how the Claus baby is named (his parents had a great vacation in Santa Fe), why Santa lives at the North Pole (Dad gets transferred), the reason for his beard (shaving gives him a rash) and how eight reindeer drive his sleigh (the walruses couldn't cut it). Young Santa's after - school job at the department store livens up, thanks to the manager's gimmick: children can sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. Soon the store must hire extra help to make toys, and elves are selected--the only unemployed people in the area. When a blizzard prevents the store from distributing the toys, Santa finds a way to deliver them himself--and the rest is history. Though some of the humor and wordplay will be over the heads of youngsters, this droll, snappy tale will provide amiable entertainment, with Miller's comical drawings adding to the merriment. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.