Dear Santa: The Letters Of James B. Dobbins - Hardcover

Harley, Bill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0066237785 ISBN 13: 9780066237787

Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books, 2005

Synopsis

Dear Santa,
Here is what I want for
Christmas ...

From an aquarium (with a piranha), to earplugs for blocking out his little sister, to a full-size hockey rink, Jimmy wants a lot for Christmas. What Jimmy needs is a little Christmas spirit.

A hilarious series of letters to Santa follows Jimmy's experience one very special holiday season, from his first outrageous requests to a final Christmas Eve surprise.

Grammy-nominated singer and storyteller Bill Harley teams up with veteran illustrator R. W. Alley to create an endearing character, a wickedly funny book, and a wholly original celebration of the season!

About this title

About the Author:

Dubbed "the Mark Twain of contemporary kids' music" by Entertainment Weekly, singer, songwriter, and storyteller Bill Harley has entertained children and their parents for more than twenty years as an award-winning performer and a commentator for NPR's All Things Considered. In addition to recording many award-winning albums for kids, he is also the author of Dear Santa: The Letters of James B. Dobbins, illustrated by R. W. Alley.

Mr. Harley performs onstage around the country and lives in Massachusetts. A version of this tale appears on his Grammy Award-winning album Blah Blah Blah: Stories about Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates & Dogs.

From Booklist:

PreS-Gr. 2. Children's singer-songwriter Harley expands his picture-book oeuvre, which includes Sitting Down to Eat (1996) and Bear's All-Night Party (2001), with a humorous variation on a time-honored seasonal theme. Harley doesn't introduce a real story line but mines crowd-pleasing comedy from a boy's invented letters to Santa, which are full of references to familiar Christmas situations (wishes for wildly improbable presents; defensive explanations for behavioral slipups). Young readers caught up in their own holiday expectations will enjoy reading between the lines of the letters and find ample humor in Alley's cartoonlike watercolor vignettes exposing the truth behind many of the boy's avowals, particularly with regard to his treatment of his little sister. Despite a conclusion that will leave readers wanting more, this droll set piece neatly captures kids' giddy anticipation leading up to Christmas morning. Top it off with a Christmas letter-writing activity. Jennifer Mattson
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About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0066237785
• ISBN 13: 9780066237787
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Alley R. W.