Little Santa

How did Santa meet his reindeer? Has he always had a magic sleigh? Who were his parents, and what kind of childhood did he have? This engaging fictional account explores Santa’s backstory to discover how and why some of our most beloved Christmas beliefs and customs came about.

As Agee tells it, Santa was a lively boy. The youngest of seven children in the Claus family, he really enjoyed their North Pole life – particularly sliding down the chimney. But everyone else was fed up with the hard work and endless cold, and a move to Florida was announced. When a huge blizzard prevented their departure, even Santa was dismayed. Their house was almost completely buried. How would they survive?

Reversing his usual approach and shimmying up the chimney, Santa sets off alone to seek help. What appears to be a treetop emerging from the snowy wastes turns out to be an antler belonging to a reindeer with a very special talent. One sky-ride later, Santa and the reindeer land on the roof of an isolated house. Entering via his usual route, Santa discovers an unexpected community of elves. With their help (and a brand-new sleigh) Santa’s family is rescued. Life becomes easier, but in the end, the warm south still holds its appeal. The family migrates to Florida – all except Santa, who chooses to stay. And as the final page observes, ‘you know the rest….’

Santa’s story is well conceived and told, with just the right amount of detail to provide a convincing context without overwhelming younger readers, and the page-turns keep the suspense at perfect pitch. Agee’s palette creates a chilly, northern feel, allowing Santa’s red suit to pop against the snowy backdrops, and his expressive characters enact key moments in the narrative in ways that enable audiences to connect more closely with the text.

Children will enjoy being ‘in the know’ as familiar tropes are revealed, and meeting Santa at such a young age only adds to the fun. It’s easier to identify with a rotund preschooler in a snowsuit than an elderly whiskered gentleman, and making this connection may prompt intergenerational questioning and reminiscing in children’s real lives, too.

Little Santa is the kind of book around which traditions can be built – a classic in the making – and will be read and enjoyed in many families for years to come.