Ninja Claus!

PreS-Gr 2—Aspiring ninja Maxwell vows to catch Santa Claus with a series of clever traps. Chung's illustrations combine traditional picture book and comic book elements; add pitch-perfect comic characterization to the mix and you have a read-aloud that kids (and adults) will put on repeat. Maxwell leaves a letter for Santa with some weighty questions ("Are elves taller than kids? Can you read minds? Is your sleigh energy renewable?"), and falls asleep waiting. When crashing noises wake Maxwell, he grabs a flashlight and his dog Brutus to invesitgate, and discovers his terrified papa trapped by hula hoops and covered in cookie crumbs! All the while, Santa (a master ninja himself) hides behind the Christmas tree. As the family sleeps, he easily evades Maxwell's traps. On Christmas morning, Maxwell finds a letter from Ninja Santa answering his previous questions and complimenting his engineering and ninja skills. He also leaves him some sneaky Santa shoes! Maxwell's closing note, promising a "big SURPRISE!" next year, will inspire giggles as readers imagine the high jinks to come.