Santa’s Helper (Children Christmas Books and Bedtime Stories)

Written by Arnie Lightning

A series of very short stories featuring Santa’s two executive elves named Sammy and Tammy. They are entrusted with granting the wishes of children who ask for the tough gifts that Santa cannot handle. For example, Victoria’s wish is to give enough food to feed all the homeless people in her neighborhood. Edgar would like to build a snowman larger than his house. The problem is that he lives in San Diego where it hasn’t snowed in 130 years. Luke from New York City wishes to find homes for all the puppies and kittens that don’t have humans to love them.. Six year old Timothy aspires to wrestle with a bear. Little Alexis desires to see into the hearts and minds of all the great men and women who have ever lived. Tammy really needed to think hard about that one! Can you guess how these two dedicated workers from Santa’s workshop managed to grant these wishes? Read the book to find out.

Great beginning reader for students in the early elementary grades one through five. A few detailed illustrations would have made the read more appealing to younger children. Recommended for children who like to solve problems; this is a fun holiday read as an independent reader or read aloud.

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Dear God, Please Forgive Me for Hating Jessica Maloney

Written by Junia Wonders

Illustrated by Divin Meir

At the beginning of the story, the reader meets the author who is writing a letter to God asking for forgiveness for hating Jessica Maloney. Don’t be mistaken; this book is not preachy or religious in the strict sense of the word.

Plot centers around the author, her friend Minty and a boy named Andy who are classmates in a private school. Jessica Maloney is the most popular and prettiest girl in school, but she is far from perfect. She uses her status as the headmaster’s daughter as an advantage to bully other students that she sees as inferior to her. Our narrator is called “Four-Eyed Freak, gets her dress slit, gum placed in her braids, and a book from the library ripped into shreds. Her best friend, Minty, has her pigtails cut, and a friend named Andy, who has hygiene problems, becomes an outcast due to Jessica’s shenanigans. Jessica throws a tantrum in gym class and gets away with it because the teacher is afraid of losing her job.

There seems to be no way of fighting back until our narrator concocts a clever plan. She teams up with Minty and Andy to draw “unflattering” posters of Jessica that suddenly appear all over the school. What is on those posters and how will they help teach Jessica a lesson? At the end of the story the narrator explains that all three children feel guilty and apologize to their teacher and even to Jessica.

Nice example for children to teach how to deal with bullies without escalating the bullying.

This book is targeted to children ages six to nine, which seems appropriate. The illustrator’s beautiful watercolor pictures with pencil details add lots of depth and emotion to the story. Characters are multiracial. Nice book to have handy for parents and teachers to open up a productive discussion on the nature and types of bullying. Available in kindle and paperback formats.

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The Question of Christmas

Written by Benjamin J. Denen

The author begins his story in the prologue by pondering the question about the true meaning of Christmas and how its meaning has been transformed over time. Then he transports the reader back to few days before Christmas in the 1980’s when he was a twelve year old sixth grade student.

Spencer takes us on a detective adventure with his two best friends, Josh and Tiffany. This Christmas would be a lean one for Spencer’s family as his father has lost his job, and the family faces financial distress due to mounting medical costs. Spencer’s older brother, B.Jack needs heart surgery due to complications related to his Down’s Syndrome condition. The adventure begins when Spencer observes a stranger moving in to a long abandoned house down the street. For some reason, he senses a strange connection. That night hearing about the robbery of a valuable dagger from the museum in Chicago, Spencer is sure he recognizes the stranger in the police sketch shown on TV as that thief.

The three inseparable friends spend all their waking free hours following the man named Alejandro Rojas. When they spy him trying to sell something to Mr. O’Flannagan in the antique store, they are determined to break in to find the dagger as evidence of the crime. I will not spoil the story; of course, the plans go awry. Is Mr. Rojas guilty and what is his connection to Spencer’s town? Will the children be caught and punished? What will happen to B.Jack?

This novella of less than one hundred pages is well written. The reader will draw his own conclusions about what Christmas truly means, but the author’s conclusion is that Christmas is love in action and should be practiced all year round. This tale does not have a biased view. It is just a though provoking feel good story appropriate for tweens, teens and adults of all ages. Highly recommended!

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