When the calendar page turns over to December, many children eagerly begin to count the days until Christmas and the arrival of Santa Claus. The following stories about Santa Claus provide humor, suspense, and holiday cheer for kids who can’t wait until the 25th!
Picture Books
Alsenas, Linas
Mrs. Claus Takes a Vacation. 2006.
Tired of all the snow at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus takes a world tour before Christmas one year.
[Education S Collection: Q. SE. Al783m]
DePaola, Tommie.
Guess Who’s Coming to Santa’s for Dinner? 2004.
A houseful of relatives turns “Mrs. C.” and Santa’s Christmas into a string of surprises, from the arrival of a pet polar bear to Cousin James B.’s flaming plum pudding.
[Education S Collection: Q. SE. D44g]
Dunham, Terri
The Legend of Papa Noel: a Cajun Christmas Story. 2006.
This Cajun version of Santa’s Christmas Eve deliveries tells of Papa Noël living in a Louisiana swamp and bringing gifts in a boat pulled by alligators along the Mississippi River.
[Education S Collection: Q. SE. D92l]
Frazee, Marla
Santa Claus: the World’s Number One Toy Expert. 2005.
Santa Claus has his own ways of knowing more about children and toys than anyone else in the world.
[Center for Children’s Books: Q. SE. F869s]
Joyce, William
Santa Calls. 1993.
Art Aimesworth receives a mysterious summons from Santa Claus and he shares a Christmas adventure with his sister that brings them closer together.
[Education Storage: Q.SE. J856S]
Koontz, Dean
Robot Santa: the Further Adventures of Santa’s Twin. 2004.
Bob Claus tries to make up for last year’s Christmas havoc by building an android to help his brother, Santa, by delivering toys in a gorilla-driven sleigh, but despite his good intentions, things go horribly wrong.
[Education S Collection: Q. S. K837r]
Krensky, Stephen
How Santa Lost His Job. 2001.
Frustrated by Santa’s slowness at Christmastime, Muckle the elf creates a mechanical replacement called the Deliverator and proposes a series of contests to prove that it can do Santa’s job better than he can.
[Education Storage: SE. K882ho]
Pallota, Jerry
Who Will Help Santa This Year? 2007.
Santa Claus needs help in his workshop, so he advertises for applicants. But the mermaids get the toys wet and the wizards turn Santa into a frog. Just when things look desperate, the elves arrive to save the day, in this humorous peek behind the scenes at the North Pole.
[Education S Collection: Q. SE. P179w]
Polacco, Patricia
Welcome Comfort. 1999.
Welcome Comfort, a lonely foster child, is assured by his friend the school custodian that there is a Santa Claus, but he does not discover the truth until one wondrous and surprising Christmas Eve.
[Education Storage: Q. SE. P756w]
Primavera, Elise
Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas. 2002.
When Chris expresses doubt about the existence of Santa Claus, his older sister Sophie reveals that their aunt is really Santa’s sister and helper and then sends him on a strange journey.
[Education Storage: Q. S. P935a]
Slangerup, Erik Jon
Santa and Me. 2005.
Mrs. Merrie H. Claus’s scrapbook shows her life with her husband, Santa Claus, and describes his many Christmas-related activities.
[Education Storage: Q. SE. Sl13s]
Solheim, James
Santa’s Secrets Revealed: All Your Questions Answered About Santa’s Super Sleigh, His Flying Reindeer, and Other Wonders. 2004.
After Stevie tells a reporter that he does not believe in Santa Claus, Santa himself pays him a visit, takes him to the North Pole to show him his operation, and proves that he uses magic as well as science.
[Education S Collection: Q. SE. So43s]
Weninger, Brigitte
A Letter to Santa Claus. 2000.
When he learns of Santa Claus from an old calendar, a poor young boy sends off his Christmas wishes tied to a balloon and gets a surprising response.
[Education Storage: Q. SE. W486lu:E]
Wheeler, Lisa
Where, oh Where, is Santa Claus? 2007.
Santa Claus is missing, and a host of arctic animals searches for him in the snow.
[Education S Collection: Q. SE. W5612w]
For Older Readers
Abbott, Tony
Kringle. 2005.
In the fifth century A.D., as order retreats from Britain with the departing Roman Army, orphaned, twelve-year-old Kringle determines to rescue his beloved guardian from the evil goblins who terrorize the countryside by kidnapping and enslaving humans. In the process, with the help of elves and others along the way, Kringle discovers his true destiny.
[Education S Collection: S. Ab292k]
Baum, L. Frank
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. 1986.
Describes the life of Santa Claus from birth through old age and into immortality.
[Education Storage: S. B327LIF1986]
Funke, Cornelia
When Santa Fell To Earth. 2006.
When he and his caravan come crashing down to earth during a thunderstorm two weeks before Christmas, Santa is befriended by two children, Charlotte and Ben, who try to help him save the holiday from the tricks and moneymaking schemes of Gerold Geronimus Goblynch and to take off in time for his annual rounds.
[Center for Children’s Books: S. F964a:E]
Paulsen, Gary
A Christmas Sonata. 1992.
When a little boy spends Christmas with his dying cousin, they discover that Santa really does exist.
[Education Storage: S. P285CH1994]
Ryan, Brittany
The Legend of Holly Claus. 2004.
Santa Claus’s daughter, Holly, comes to Earth seeking an end to the curse cast upon her and the Land of the Immortals by an evil wizard, whose own punishment will end only if Holly willingly gives him her pure heart.
[Education Storage: S. R952l]
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Father Christmas Letters. 1976.
A collection of illustrated letters from Father Christmas recapping the activities of the preceding year at the North Pole. The letters were written by the author to his children.
[Undergrad Call Number: 823 T57FA]