Member Reviews
This is a cute story that has rhyming. It goes through how Santa could be trapped and the elves have to bring the gifts in. I think young readers would enjoy it.
This book is just as enjoyable as the other books in this series! My students always love these books and I’m excited to share this one with them. This sweet story shows Santa maneuvering around the various traps children set for him as he delivers gifts on Christmas Eve. The illustrations are beautiful and bright, sure to be enjoyed by all readers!
How to Catch Santa Claus continues in the tradition of the series of books where kids are trying to catch a; Leprechaun, Mermaid, Turkey, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Elf etc. Usually there are elaborate traps set and the person or creature avoids being caught. The stories are told in rhyming verse with colorful illustrations. The series is very popular in my elementary school library. Truthfully, the rhyming on this doesn’t flow well for a reader and seems contrived. I'm not sure you can trap a being that can enter homes through chimney’s. I find the series fun, but this book isn’t my favorite. I’m not saying I wouldn’t add it to my library shelf but it isn’t an auto purchase.
This book is one of my favorite out of all the “How to Catch…” series! It will be so fun for Christmas time. The illustrations were so magical and whimsical and gave the classic Christmas feel. I loved that Santa’s helpers were found falling for traps, which is a fun twist. The story kept attention, and had cute jokes.
This book was absolutely adorable and my son loved every second! Such a cute book that keeps in line with the others in this series.
Thanks to Sourcebooks for the eARC!
Unfortunately not my favorite. The rhyming is very contrived and often results in strange sentence structure that makes the text difficult for young kids to understand. Illustrations are attractive but the story isn’t compelling.
How to Catch a Santa Claus
I was so excited by this book; the series has some fun books in it and I love the rhyming in the stories. The title and first page for this book were no exception, it started out amazing. However, the story fell flat after that. The rhyming wasn’t smooth and didn’t roll of my tongue. There are so many different ways this one could have been written that would have made it a better story.
How to Catch a Santa Claus did not live up to my expectations of the series and I won’t be recommending it. As well, I have chosen not to review this book elsewhere. My apologies to the author.
Published: 09/01/23
Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids, Sourcebooks Wonderland for accepting my request to read and review How to Catch Santa Claus.
The book started with a laugh out loud rhyme, and there were a few more rhymes that ensued. Unfortunately, it felt like there was more than one author. The funny, well-placed rhymes were strewn in with words. As I imagined myself reading to a child I felt the confusion in my tone and body tense. I can imagine the perplexing look on my face.
There wasn't a balance: 20% funny, 10% cute, and that leaves a lot leftover.
The illustrations are a mixed bag as well. I loved some pages and others not so much.
I would have a difficult time reading and engaging a child with this story.
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Kids and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
It’s Christmas Eve time to drive presents to children all around the world. As he, his reindeers and his elf arrive to the houses children have set up traps to capture Santa.
This was magical and it made me feel cosy inside, this was absolutely hilarious, oh my goodness this is a perfect Christmas book. Children always want to capture Santa to see him for real, but he’s a busy man and doesn’t have time to settle. I loved that this shows all the different things children could possibly do to set up traps to capturing him.
The illustrations throughout were amazing and I kept looking at every page and there was always something funny going on in the images, from the reindeer being silly, or a trap set up or the elf getting swept into one. It was such a hilarious book I loved it so much.
I highly recommend this one if you love to read Christmas books to your children this is magical, hilarious and will get them in the spirit, will get their mind working and may even convince them to figure out a trap of their very own, it’s so much fun and I loved it.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I love these books and the art in this one was so adorable and perfect for kids. The only reason I took off one star is because some of the lines flowed a little awkwardly.
How freaking adorable! Christmas is my favorite time of the year and my daughter loves these "how to catch" books. I can not wait to add this one to her collection. An awesome non religious Christmas book!
Thanks @netgalley for the eARC!
I have loved the how to catch series since it has came out. My students have left it as well. We have done many many crafts to go along with the series, and this book definitely keeps up. I loved all the pictures and the rhymes that go with it are always fantastic. The only negative I have to say about this book is that during the story, we see Santas helper and he does a lot of helping, such as putting the presents underneath the tree. The story of Santa that the children know is that the elves are not with Santa on his Christmas ride. So I feel like that was a little weird. But if that’s my biggest nitpick, the story is still overall fantastic.
Very adorable book my daughter loves these books. We read a few others in this series and she loves them i did add this to her wishlist on Amazon to try and get a physical copy of it. I say 5 star book. Kept my daughter pulled into it and it's a quick story to read before bed
Alice Walstead and Andy Elkerton have done it again! How to Catch Santa Claus is another adorable addition to the bestselling How to Catch series. My elementary students love these books and are mesmerized by the illustrations and fun storyline. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy in September and add it to our school library! If you haven't picked up a copy of the other books in this series, I definitely recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Kids, Alice Walstead and Andy Elkerton for the ARC!
I read this book to my children and they loved it! It’s nowhere near Christmas but they were laughing and smiling! Thank you so much for this advance copy! I’ll be purchasing the real thing when It’s released!
My daughter and I read this and she said immediately “this book is a 10/10”. We loved it. It will be going on our shelf to read every Christmas and all the time. We love the How to Catch books so much! She said her favorite trap was the reindeer trap!
This is a Children's Christmas book that I read to my twin boys. My boys loved this book, and they really loved the pictures in this book so much. That Elf was just so cute, and my boys loved finding where the Elf was in the pictures. This book was easy to read, and this was a fun story. I do feel the pictures tell the story so well even without the story. Great Fun Christmas book to read to your kids. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
Thank you to Net Galley for this very well illustrated copy of “ How to Catch Santa Claus” by Alice Walstead in exchange for a honest review..This book explores all the ways Santa tries to outsmart the children who try to catch him on his rounds Are they successful? Read the book and find out.I shared this book with my grandson and he thought the children were all very clever..
"You're all so smart and clever, and the traps do look like fun, but I can't get too distracted. There's a lot of work to be done!"
How to Catch Santa Claus is another great book in this series! My daughters and I love Alice Walstead's fun and engaging books. The illustrations are great as is the rhyming story. We especially loved the role of Santa's elf and reindeer in this story. This book left us laughing and with smiles on our faces. Looking forward to adding this to our collection when it goes to print!
Book : How To Catch Santa Claus
Author : Alice Walstead
Release Date : 01, Sept 2023
Thank you Net Galley, Sourcebooks Kids and the author of this book for an opportunity to review this ARC.
This book cover is perfect for little kids attention!!! My son loves ‘To Catch A’ books and this one caught both of our attention. He LOVE Santa Claus and of course he always thinks of ways he can catch Santa.
The illustrations are eye catching and so fun, the story is perfect! This will be an annual read for us! I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy of this book for holiday season reads!