Hurry, Santa! - Hardcover

It's Christmas time again and Sykes's noisy, jovial Santa (Shhh!) returns, embarking upon a whole new succession of misadventures. This time, Santa's troubles begin when his alarm clock does not go off, causing him to oversleep. The race is on to see if he can manage to save Christmas by delivering all his presents by morning. Accompanied by animal friends, and spurred on by their cries of ``Hurry, Santa,'' the affable but slightly harried old gnome stumbles through several mishaps as he endeavors to get dressed, round up his, and deliver the presents. Children will sympathize with Santa, whose efforts to hurry are frequently misunderstood by the well-meaning animals. When Santa gets scolded by the owl for playing (all he's done is interrupt the reindeer's snowball fight), the beleaguered Santa wails, ``But I wasn't playing!'' Santa's fumbles as he hurries through the night are cheerfully brought to life through Warnes's expressive, lively illustrations; whimsical figures, rich colors, and lighthearted illustrations complement the frenetic tale. The humorous antics of the intrepid Santa make for a wonderfully silly holiday story. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 3^-5. The alarm doesn't go off, and Santa wakes up late for his very important date. The rest of the day is nothing but rush, rush, rush: first it's jumping into his clothes and rounding up the reindeer (not all of whom can be found), then it's getting stuck in a snowdrift and trying to play catch-up the whole trip. Santa does manage to finish his appointed rounds, and thinks he has delivered all the presents until he finds one left in the bag. Happily, it's for him, and it's just what he needs--an alarm clock! Little kids who themselves are often being rushed from place to place will appreciate Santa's hectic evening. The just-bordering-on-cartoon artwork is delightful. Warnes mixes the right amount of frenetic energy and laughs into watercolor-and-pen art that attracts attention with its brights colors and cute characterizations. Great for holiday story hours. Ilene Cooper