Santa Claws

PreS-Gr 2–Readers will enjoy meeting Santa Claws, a T. rex wearing a red holiday hat and driving a sleigh pulled by pterosaurs. All the elements of the holiday season are here, from tree-trimming to making toys to delivering food treats, but the participants are creatures from the Cretaceous Period doing human holiday tasks. For example, gallimimuses trim trees with magnolia blossoms, while tiny T. rexes set out scavenged meat for Santa Claws. The rhyming text is upbeat and highlights the incongruities of dinosaurs ­celebrating Christmas. Illustrations add greatly to the story, combining whimsical dinosaur drawings with enough realistic details to keep dinosaur fans happy. The spread with the rhyming lines “­Onward to the ocean deep—/ Sea monsters are fast asleep./ While they nestle in their beds,/ Ammonites drift overhead” is an example of how the rhymes are brought to life by the colorful, clever drawings. End pages provide brief descriptions of all the Cretaceaous Era creatures featured. ­Although this story does not tug at readers’ heartstrings, it will provide chuckles to all the little ­dinosaur fans.