The Christmas Adventure of Space Elf Sam - Hardcover

Wood, Audrey; Wood, Don

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590031430 ISBN 13: 9780590031431

Publisher: Scholastic, 1998

Synopsis

Illustrated with three-dimensional-looking, computer-generated artwork similar to that in Toy Story, a unique, affecting Christmas tale follows a space-age elf on his first spaceship mission for Santa Claus.

About this title

About the Author

Don and Audrey Wood have been an award-winning team for over 25 years. “When our son, Bruce, was
very young, the best part of the day for my wife, Audrey, and me was reading him his bedtime picture
books….That's when I fell in love with children's literature and decided to illustrate, and occasionally
write, children's books,” says Don, who grew up on his family's farm in California. Audrey grew up in a
family of artists and is a fourth-generation artist.
Together, Don and Audrey created their first picture book in 1976. Since then, they have collaborated on
several award-winning picture books, including the Caldecott Honor book, King Bidgood's in the Bathtub.
For more information about Don and Audrey Wood, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks or audreywood.com

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Space Elf Sam's mission is to deliver presents to children on the space colony Alpha One, but he crash-lands on unexplored Gom instead. There he ends up teaching the small, green, potbellied inhabitants about Christmas. They learn that it means finding and decorating a tree, and it means presents?but not just any presents; the gifts must be just right for their recipients. Slick, boldly colored, technically impressive computer art takes center stage in this Toy Story-esque production?the pictures have contour and texture but minimal emotional content. While the story itself is rather slight, children will no doubt be attracted to this glitzy package.?SHP
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4^-8. When Earth families begin colonizing distant planets, Santa Claus needs help. His answer is to establish the Space Elf Christmas Academy, whose graduates become surrogate, spaceship-piloting Santas. When a bag of Christmas letters arrives at the last minute from the space colony Alpha One, it's a job for Space Elf Sam. Unfortunately, his ship, knocked off course en route, crash lands on the unexplored planet of Gom. There, Sam encounters little green aliens who haven't a clue about Christmas. It's up to the space elf to acquaint them with presents, Christmas trees, and other such seasonal stuff. The Gommers are adorable, in a comic book sort of way, and Sam is a stalwart hero. As for the story--it's an agreeable-enough excuse for Wood's lavish, computer-generated pictures, which, in their three-dimensionality, look a great deal like frames from the movie Toy Story. Are computer-generated illustrations the future of the picture book? Who knows? For the present, they are bound to fascinate kids, but their novelty may soon wear off, for--frankly--the images appear oddly static (not just a frame but a freeze-frame), and their coloration may seem garish to some. Michael Cart

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0590031430
• ISBN 13: 9780590031431
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Wood Bruce Robert
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40