How Santa Really Works

Product Description Top-secret information on Santa (Shhhhhhhh...) Intrepid Santa-tracker Alan Snow has traveled up through Lapland to the far reaches of the Arctic Circle in search of the ever-elusive Mr. Claus. There, beneath the polar cap, deep underground, he found a bustling community with one mission and one mission only -- to make Christmas happen. Have you ever wondered how Santa knows exactly when you fall asleep? Does he really have time to check if every single child's been naughty or nice? And maybe more important, what do the naughty kids actually end up with? These are but a few of the questions you've never had answers for...until now. How Santa Really Works is the real scoop on how Santa does what he does so well. From School Library Journal Grade 3 Up–Snow's clever and ever-so-slightly subversive exposé will answer all the FAQs, and some new ones. Intricately detailed pen-and-ink, computer-colorized illustrations will keep viewers endlessly amused. The text is aimed toward sophisticated readers, and actually offers a nice overview of the steps that companies take to produce a product–brainstorming, research and development of prototypes, etc. There's a subtle British feel to the language and illustrations. Large quantities of homely little elves swarm over the last two-thirds of the book; they are young and old, with diverse skin tones; some use wheelchairs, and a few seem to be aliens from another galaxy. They talk to one another via speech bubbles, which, along with the crowded (sometimes chaotic) layouts, make this a book much more suited to personal perusal than sharing with a group. Even youngsters who don't believe in Santa or Father Christmas will find much to admire in Snow's creative take on a beloved holiday icon. –M. A. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Gr. 2-4. The author of the wacky pseudo-engineering books How Dogs Really Work (1993) and The Truth about Cats (1996) now turns his attention northward to Santa's home. In this imaginative picture book, Santa oversees a vast operation with elves as toy designers, testers, makers, wrappers, and packers, not to mention spies (naughty or nice? asleep or awake?). The text is long and the design is too complicated for the true Santa set, but Snow's amusing take on the subject and the many comments and text balloons in small type will entertain older kids, as will the lively, detailed ink drawings with colorful washes. The large-scale, eye-catching jacket illustration features a Santa diagram, with his cap labeled "thermal noggin protection," his beard called a "soup filtering system," and his buttons styled "suit control knobs." Even nonbelievers will enjoy the fun. Carolyn Phelan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved About the Author Alan Snow is a well-known author and illustrator of children’s books and has also worked in many fields of design and animation. He has written two novels, Here Be Monsters! and Worse Things Happen at Sea!, both set in the wonderfully weird world of Ratbridge. He lives in Bath, England. Alan Snow is a well-known author and illustrator of children’s books and has also worked in many fields of design and animation. He has written two novels, Here Be Monsters! and Worse Things Happen at Sea!, both set in the wonderfully weird world of Ratbridge. He lives in Bath, England.