Santa's Gotta Go!

In this lively holiday read, a Black family hoping to welcome Santa to their home get more than they bargained for after his sleigh breaks down. When Santa, portrayed with brown skin and sporting jeans and tattoos, agrees to a brief vacation while he awaits a new sleigh fuse, he quickly proves a difficult houseguest for the Mack family, holding loud jam sessions, eating everything in sight, and damaging Mr. Mack's motorcycle. When he cracks the tablet he brought Mabel for Christmas, the child declares, "Santa's gotta go!" Though Santa doesn't get the hint until after the family departs for a hotel, the Macks return to a tidied house--and a concerning promise that Santa will be bragging to his friends about the stay. Via blow-by-blow text and expressive thin-lined art, Barnes and Lovett bring comedic havoc to this vision of a Santa who's more chaotic than nice. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

PreS-Gr 3--After seeing a story on TV about a family hanging out with Santa Claus, the Mack family decides that they want to get Santa to stay at their house for a while. Their wish is granted when Santa's sleigh breaks down, and he has to wait three days for a replacement part to arrive. But hosting Santa is not the fun the family thought it would be: Santa eats all the food, makes noise late into the night playing music with guys from the neighborhood, and takes Mr. Mack's motorcycle out for a drive without asking. When Santa accidentally stomps on Mabel's new tablet, she "balled up her fists, scrunched her up her nose, and shouted: 'Santa's Gotta Go!!!'" Fed up, the Macks spend Santa's last night at a hotel and are surprised by what they find when they return home. This contemporary, creative story portrays a Black Santa Claus who works out, sports tattoos, and only has a slight belly. Children will delight in many modern elements of the story, such as Santa ordering a part for his sleigh online using a laptop. Crisp illustrations transport readers into the comfortable and loving home of a young Black family and clearly convey the family's emotions on their faces: exhaustion, annoyance, anger, surprise, and more. VERDICT Children will love seeing an easily relatable Santa Claus and family. Pair this fun story with Billy Sharff's When Santa Came to Stay.--Florence Simmons