Some might think that Mrs. Claus stays home quietly reading on Christmas Eve, with retired reindeer curled up at her feet. That’s just the case in the first spread of this clever, rhymed story, but after that, Wharton presents other ideas of what Mrs. C. might be up to—lots of ideas. Santa’s spouse might be hosting the Jingle Bell Ball, outfitted in a maroon evening gown and pearls. Or she might be in a business suit running Claus Enterprises and getting all those toys ready at the factory with the elf engineers. After these well-developed ideas, the narrative revs up and starts spitting out several dozen occupations for Mrs. Claus in rollicking succession, with the illustrations showing her in appropriate garb for each sort of career. The choices are wide-ranging and humorous, ranging from the unusual to the fantastic. The flawlessly rhyming text zips along, ending sweetly with Mr. and Mrs. Claus reunited for Christmas day on the final page. It’s great to see a senior citizen so breezily handling any job that might come her way. (Picture book. 4-7)
