THANK YOU, SANTA

In January, Samantha writes Santa a friendly thank-you note, confiding her pleasure in the knitting needles and yarn he brought and asking after his reindeer. In February, he replies: no, he and Mrs. Claus don't know how to knit, and the littlest reindeer is poorly. So it goes, month by month, as the two exchange notes on polar animals, including a bear Samantha knows about in a nearby zoo (``Perhaps he was dreaming of snow''). Santa decides the reindeer will have to stay home this year; Samantha intervenes on his behalf (``All I want for Christmas is for the littlest reindeer to be happy...''); and in December, Santa thanks the Australian child for her knitted gifts and promises an unseasonable surprise for her polar bear friend. Wild brings a deal of thought to her carefully crafted, simple seeming story; Argent's appealing realistic illustrations glow with life and color. An unusually amiable Christmas offering. (Picture book. 4-8)