RUNAWAY ELF

Egar offers a Christmas-themed picture book about an elf who runs off from the North Pole to visit Hollywood.

Magnus, who works in Santa’s workshop, is avoiding his boss, who wants to have a chat. The elf did some things recently that may get him in trouble, including painting purple flames on Santa’s red sleigh in an attempt to jazz it up. So, he impulsively takes an impromptu trip to Los Angeles, where he attempts surfing, auditions for a movie role as an elf (only to be turned down because he doesn’t “look like an elf”), and visits the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Magnus is dismayed to find that Santa doesn’t have a star there, and he sits on a nearby park bench in exasperation—only to be surrounded by kids who immediately recognize one of Santa’s elves and pepper him with questions. Afterward, the elf decides to return to the North Pole, after all—just in time for dinner. Although this is certainly not the first work to tell a tale of one of Santa’s elves visiting a big city, Egar’s text is engaging and funny throughout. Campeau’s illustrations supplement the story well with a rich color scheme and expressive faces. Magnus is depicted with brown skin, and other characters have a range of skin tones.

A somewhat familiar but appealingly lighthearted holiday tale.