Member Reviews
Unfortunately I wasn’t a big fan of this one. I like the idea of it but the story itself wasn’t engaging.
There were a few facts sprinkled in which I liked but it wasn’t consistent from day to day or page to page.
The illustrations were cute.
This just isn’t a book that I think would interest the children in my family.
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to love this book, because I love Christmas and I love countdowns… but it was a little lackluster. The illustrations are super cute, but the writing is somewhat wooden. It’s on the level of a “Dick and Jane” book, but it’s in paragraph format and with a few more complicated plot points. A paragraph style book needs better writing. It just doesn’t have a lot of personality. And the countdown doesn’t feel much like a countdown—just a collection of things that happened to Santa—and some of it doesn’t fit standard Santa lore… like it says they don’t start making the toys until December 5th! I don’t think I’d share this book with a child because it has too many contradictory things common in Christmas story telling and introduces all kinds of new characters to keep track of, none of which end up being exciting or endearing. I really love the illustrations, though. They get 5 stars. But the story and writing I give 2 stars. The one thing I really liked about this book (besides the illustrations) was the discussion of the Naughty List. I think Santa said some great things about the efforts kids put forth and not leaving anyone out. Overall, this is a 3 star children’s book.
When my children were smaller, we often tried to read the popular "chapter each night" holiday books but always seemed to miss a night or get behind, which ruins things. This charming picture book would have been PERFECT! Each page has enough text to qualify as a bedtime story but would be perfect for kiddos who aren't ready to sit through many pages of a chapter book each and every night. If you missed a night of this book before the kids crashed early, it would be easy to catch up. Also, the story is so engaging and amusing! The pictures are hilarious and the story, with the addition of a new puppy at the North Pole for the Claus family, is such a great idea! I think this would be perfect to gift to someone with young children at Thanksgiving, so they can get started on December 1st! I highly recommend this one!
Wow what a great story concept!! I love the idea of reading one page a day counting down until Christmas (24 days worth) and getting a piece of the story each day.
I found the story/ writing itself a little wordy and long personally, so it won’t be making my list of favourite Christmas stories BUT the concept and the illustrations make up for where the words are lacking in my opinion. It also could be that it’s intended to be read one page at a time and I read it in one sitting. Either way it was a very fun Christmas read and I’d recommend it to school age children.
Wonderfully illustrated pages with a cute story. I wonder how many kids will be content to just read a page a day? It was too fun to read it in one go!
Review to come December 1st to blog/goodreads/etc..
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I was planning on reviewing this one for Christmas, but after reading this one, I thought heck no. This one needs to be read before and until Christmas! It is like an advent calendar, just with stories instead of little presents or chocolate. XD Today, December 1st, is the DAY to get this book and start reading it.
OK, I didn't read it a story a day, I just wanted to soak it all up, plus, I couldn't wait. But for kids this one is perfect. The stories are bite-sized and perfect for a couple of minutes a day before bed (or at another more special time).
In this book we start at December 1st and go all the way to Christmas. Each day has a short story about an event happening during that day. From the preparations to tech-jinks from our Tek elf to getting fit and ready to go up on the roof to Rudolf getting a cold and there is much more. Each day counts down to the events and there is also another story that comes back most of the days, namely the wish of a little sad boy who didn't want anything and is lonely. It is up to Santa to find a present so perfect it will make the boy smile again. I really head fun reading each story and seeing Christmas get closer and see more and more things get done. I do vote to get rid of the "How many more presents do we need to wrap" machine, good lord, that thing would give any sane person anxiety 100%. XD I loved seeing all the things that were happening at Santa's place and I just want to sleep in those plushies, eat some yummy Christmas bakes, and also pet the reindeer. I just love how many things are the same for each Christmas Santa book, but yet there are always small details/differences.
I also loved seeing all the different elves. From the ones who bake to the one who makes Santa a bit more modern (though some things he should maybe test a bit more... and some things he shouldn't forget).
The illustrations are just terrific. I really loved how Mr and Ms. Claus were drawn, but also the elves and the TON of details. The art is just so much fun and gives the book some extra sparks and glitter. There is so much to see on each illustration and I love the colours.
All in all, a perfect Christmas book and oh so much fun to read. Maybe I will just do a re-read from today on until Christmas! I wouldn't mind that! Recommended to all looking for a fun and creative book with great art!
This was a great book to read every night leading up to Christmas to help count down the days left until Christmas.
This is a cute story! My kids love Christmas stories and advent calendars that involve books, so this perfect for our family! I love the idea of having a daily story that can be used as an advent calendar and plan on adding it to our yearly books. I feel like this book is a different spin on the typical Christmas story since it shows what Santa is doing for the 24 days before Christmas, which I also appreciate.
A really fun Christmas book for kids! I made sure to read this on my own, then to my daughter--she adored it and asks for me to read it over and over.
This countdown to Christmas is such a cute story and set up kind of like an Advent. My son really enjoyed reading through this and the graphics. It's cute and focuses on the days leading up to Christmas from the North Pole. Definitely a cute book to add to a childs Christmas book collection. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and Chouette Publishing.
It was a very simple story. I liked that each page was set up to read each day. Not overwhelming and easy to do. Kids will enjoy this. They will look forward to continuing the story each night.
Kids will enjoy this countdown as Santa prepares for Christmas. It’s a fun read aloud with the funny exclamations Santa makes and they’ll like the cute illustrations.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- A cute cover on this one!
This was such a cute book (even if Santa looks a bit like a maniac 😂). This is basically an advent calendar in book form. Each chapter represents one day and one task in preparation for Christmas. The illustrations are bright and colorful and I think this would make a really fun book to read to the little ones before bed.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC! This is an adorable read about how Santa prepares for Christmas. I like how it was more than just making the toys and flying the sled- Santa's fitness test was playful and fun! The book is set up like a calendar and what Santa needs to do on each of the days which I thought was very cute. This book would go along great with an advent calendar. This would also be a great read to break up throughout the month of December to read daily so the children can know what Santa is doing each day to prepare for the big day. Super cute read and I would recommend for families with young children who believe in the spirit of Christmas and Santa!
This book is an excellent way to share the excitement and anticipation of Christmas with the children in your life. The stories are fun, relevant and entertaining. The illustrations are cute and engaging. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to sharing it with me early reader grandson. Thanks #NetGalley
Suffering Succotash this was an adorable story book! Any child from 1 to 100 will love this! I enjoyed the colorful pictures and it just made Christmas getting here seem so quick as we follow along with Santa and his crew on their daily duties getting ready for the big day. This will totally become a holiday tradition book to read each year!
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I appreciated this children's book that has more words than a typical one. All of my kids enjoyed this story.
Thank you for the copy!
Santa’s Countdown to Christmas by Kim Thompson is a very cute way to do an advent calendar for children. The illustrations are beautiful. Read the book and do the countdown with your children.
We know what Santa does on Christmas Eve but what is happening at the workshop before then? This delightful, colorful, fun advent themed book takes us behind the scenes with Santa and his elves. I really enjoyed everything about this book. The names for the elves are too cute and the illustrations are so vivid and bright. It would make a great bedtime story in December for the little ones, by reading a page a night up until Christmas Eve. I must purchase a copy for my niece.
Short Christmas stories for children from the first of December to Christmas day itself. I like the premise, but literally no child I've ever read a book to has been okay to just read one page -- they always demand I go through the rest of the book to finish it, regardless of age -- so I'm not sure how this will blow over with actual children. Maybe some other people out there have figurative unicorn children who are patient and accepting of books like this. The only time I've been able to read a portion of a book to kids was with old-fashioned readers, with multiple stories inside (and multiple pages for each story).