Here Comes Santa Claus

Autry, Gene

ISBN 10: 006028269X ISBN 13: 9780060282691

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2002

Synopsis

Gene Autry wrote and recorded "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" in 1947. The story goes that he was at a Christmas parade where he heard some children repeating, "Here comes Santa Claus! Here comes Santa Claus!" over and over. Autry was inspired by the joyful anticipation behind the words to jot down the first draft of a song. He brought his notes to Oakley Haldeman, then head of his music publishing company, and they completed the song together -- little suspecting that it would become a Christmas classic.

"Here Comes Santa Claus" was Gene Autry's first holiday recording and an immediate hit. Over the past half century the song's popularity has continued to grow, and in 1998 It was voted one of the top holiday songs of the twentieth century by The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Now artist Bruce Whatley has been inspired to illustrate this favorite song as a picture book with the richly textured artwork that made his The Night Before Christmas a best-seller. Expanding on the song's themes of hope and goodwill, Whatley has created a curious North Pole puppy who stows away on Santa's sleigh for an unforgettable Christmas Eve adventure.

About this title

About the Author:

Gene Autry (1907-1998), the legendary singing cowboy of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, won the hearts of Americans with his golden voice and rugged good looks. He became one of the most popular actors of his day, playing Everyman western heroes in scores of films as well as on radio and television shows.

Autry also wrote, or cowrote, over two hundred songs, including "Back in the Saddle Again," and recorded an impressive string of holiday classics, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." High among his many awards and honors were induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a town in Oklahoma that was named after him. In later life, he was as successful a businessman and producer as he had been a performer and served as the driving force behind the creation of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

From Booklist:

PreS-Gr. 1. Coauthored and popularized by singing cowboy Gene Autry, "Here Comes Santa Claus" becomes the text of this seasonal picture book. The rhyme jingles along agreeably, and the detailed, double-page illustrations follow two story lines that eventually converge. The first begins as Santa and his helpers prepare his sleigh for takeoff, not realizing that a white puppy is stowing away in a sack of toys. Meanwhile a little boy named Matthew and his parents listen to carolers, hang their stockings, and prepare for bed. Santa finds the little dog before he arrives at Matthew's house and reads his note requesting a puppy. Santa leaves, the puppy stays, and Matthew awakens to find his wish granted. The complete words and piano music, along with guitar chords, appear on the endpapers. The soft-edged realism and deep, rich colors of the artwork give the pages an appealing look, and the cover, featuring a close-up of Santa and the puppy, is a natural for holiday displays. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 006028269X
• ISBN 13: 9780060282691
• Binding: Library Binding
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Whatley Bruce