A City Full of Santas

PreS-Gr 2–Seeing the “real” Santa is often priority number one for Christmas-celebrating children, and this title is a fun, fresh take on a familiar holiday dilemma. A young Asian girl is overcome with excitement at the prospect of seeing Santa Claus this year at the fancy department store in the big city. After a train ride into the bustling city center, the young girl spies Santas of all shapes and sizes on street corners, park benches, and strolling down sidewalks. Confused, but eternally hopeful, the girl queues up in the department store line with her mom, only to be met with a Santa who is less-than-brimming with Christmas magic. Her disappointment is a nod to the iconic scene from the movie Elf of Buddy accusing a department store Santa of smelling like “beef and cheese,” which is sure to elicit a giggle from those familiar with the holiday classic. The girl is sad all the way home, until she gets to her house and realizes that she still has one more chance to meet Santa. Ho’s lyricism shines in this buoyant holiday picture book, and Phuong captures the emotional ebbs and flows of the young protagonist while peppering the illustrations with sparkling holiday magic.