Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Santa Retires
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Charlesbridge, 2012 ISBN: 978-1580892940
Santa enjoys making toys for the world’s children, but delivering them can be trying. Having dealt with sacks that “are getting bigger, chimneys that “are getting smaller,” and often dreadful weather, Santa is in dire need of a vacation. After seeing a brochure about Mistletoe Island “Where every day is like Christmas, only warmer,” Santa and Mrs. Claus leave the North Pole.
The famous pair travel in incognito, and soon enough they are on Mistletoe Island. Santa and Mrs. Claus play tennis, they do yoga, and take walks on the beach. Santa even takes dance lessons, and he starts to lose some weight. They love the island so much that they start talking about making it their new home, and when the reindeer come to visit, Santa shocks them all by announcing that he is going to retire. Not surprisingly, the reindeer don’t “take the news very well,” and who can blame them.
In this amusing book, David Biedrzycki shows us that Santa Claus is human, just like the rest of us. Santa gets tired and needs time off, and he even goes so far as to change his lifestyle in a dramatic way. With delicious touches of humor, the author gives us a picture of a Santa who is loveable, and who sometimes struggles to do the right thing.
