Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole

Readers are offered a day-by-day "glimpse of life at the North Pole" in twenty-five festive haiku "penned" by Santa himself. The poems are rich with tender emotions and crisp imagery, all reflected affectionately and vividly in Groenink's art. A warm seasonal collection notable for its clever, gently comical visual details (note St. Nick's adult beverage as he relaxes on December 26th).

An engaging picture book that offers a fresh take on classic Christmas themes. The haiku form proves an effective and evocative vehicle for capturing both the snowy environs of the North Pole (“December 13th: Mother Nature trims / her trees with icicles, snow, / pinecones, and moonlight.”), and the wonder and magic of the holiday season (“December 4th: Sprinkling sand on my / snow-covered steps, thinking of / nutmeg on eggnog.”). Chuck Groenink’s artwork hits all the right notes. His warm, bright illustrations of life inside Santa’s house are intimate and lively, while his striking night scenes trade the homestead’s reds and browns for crisp, wintry whites and blues. A gentle sense of humor permeates a number of the poems: “December 20th: Workshop warning / in effect, heavy sawdust / accumulation.” Readers may be inspired to create their own winter- and holiday-themed haikus.

Readers are offered a day-by-day "glimpse of life at the North Pole" in twenty-five festive haiku "penned" by Santa himself. The poems are rich with tender emotions ("Mrs. Claus making / an angel, becoming a / little girl again") and crisp imagery ("Sprinkling sand on my / snow-covered steps, thinking of / nutmeg on eggnog"), all reflected affectionately and vividly in Groenink's art: a smiling, rosy-cheeked, bundled-up missus makes snow angels while textured grains of sand are strewn over the icy cottage stairs beside her. A warm seasonal collection notable for its clever, gently comical visual details (note St. Nick's adult beverage as he relaxes in an armchair on December 26th). katrina hedeen