SANTA IS STUCK

When Santa gets lodged in a chimney, it’s up to readers to free him.

There are many questions surrounding Santa and chimneys. But the most important one just might be: What happens if Santa gets stuck? The title page shows a plump, pale-skinned Santa partway down the narrow chute, upside down, imploring readers for help. An unseen narrator suggests that perhaps tickling Santa would help him wriggle free. Unfortunately, that just creates a cloud of stinky green gas (Santa toots when he is tickled). Quick, readers must blow to clear the smell away. Maybe a poke or a flick or a push will help. Poor Santa isn’t budging, though he does contort into many different positions. As in many similar pieces of metafiction, the narrator encourages readers to tilt, turn, and shake the book (and of course, the lights go out at one point). But when Santa finally starts moving, an expansive gatefold opens to show the full extent of his journey—and, in an enjoyably silly moment, to reveal that he’s lost his pants. Oops! For most of the narrative, the stark black backdrop spotlights the thin chimney flue, putting the jolly, bedraggled fellow front and center. Young readers will giggle their way through the whole experience.

Humorous holiday fun.