Friday, December 3, 2010

Review: Santa Claustrophobia by Mike Reiss

ISBN #: 0-14-240376-8
Page Count: 29
Copyright: 2002



About the Author & Illustrator:
(Taken from inside back cover)

Mike Reiss (author) has won four Emmy Awards for his work on The Simpsons.  His other books for unconventional children include How Murray Saved Christmas, The Boy Who Looked Like Lincoln, and The Great Show-and-Tell Disaster.

David Catrow (illustrator), who also illustrated How Murray Saved Christmas and The Boy Who Looked Like Lincoln, is a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist and the illustrator of many books for children.  He has twice been honored with the New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year award.


Summary:
(Taken from back cover)

Meet Doc Holiday.  As a therapist he's helped everyone from the Thanksgiving Turkey, with his nightmares about Pilgrims, to Cupid, who's remarkably shy for a guy with no pants!  But when Saint Nick himself develops a fear of chimneys, the Doc has to round up the rest of the holiday gang to handle Christmas while Santa recuperates.  The challenges become obvious when the Easter Bunny paints all the toys pastel colors, Lincoln and Washington fight over who's in charge, Columbus insists he must sail west to go east to make the deliveries, and the April Fool manages to do everything wrong!  Christmas is out of control, and it's clear that only one person can set things right ...


My Review:

I wanted to start off this Christmas season by reviewing a Christmas book.  Now, I won't be reviewing Christmas-related books only for the month of December, but I will have a few interspersed here and there.

When I went to BAM! the other day, I saw this book on the $2 cart that was outside the store.  Right away, the cover art drew me in and I wanted to read it.

The illustrations were colorful and expressive.  They made you want to keep turning the page to see what else was drawn to coincide with the story.  After reading each page, I just kept looking at the illustrations to see every detail.  I don't remember the last illustrated book I viewed that made me want to just keep looking at the pictures.

The story ... or poem, I should say, for it was written in rhyme ... was adorable.  I loved it as well.  I like the fact that Santa has a breakdown due to stress and that the other holiday representatives pitch in to help him out.  It was cute, funny and made me smile.

This is definitely one Christmas story that I will read year after year.  =)

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