Book Review: "Young Santa" by Dan Greenburg

Ever wonder what Santa was like as a boy? What his family was like? Where he was raised and how he got into the "Santa Claus" business?

Well, Dan Greenburg's Young Santa answers these questions and many more. Irreverent, laugh out loud funny and illustrated with charming pictures, this is a good book for early readers in the 7 - 10 year old range (though I must say I enjoyed it too as a middle aged old guy).

A prolific author of children's books (among other things), Greenburg guides us through a "revisionist" history of the Santa Claus myth, as re-imagined by a funny Jewish humorist. The results are very enjoyable!

The story starts with new parents, Sophie and Milton Claus, discussing what to name their newborn son. Sheldon, Keith, Sheppy, Byron, Marvin, Freddy and Cornelius - none of the names they come up with are working for them. But then Sophie remembers the name of a city where the couple once vacationed, Santa Fe. How about "Santa?" she suggests. Milton thinks it over and agrees it has a pleasant ring to it. Santa Claus it is!

Then Milton, an icebox salesman, gets transferred to a most unlikely but fortuitous sales post at the North Pole. He's not happy about the transfer, but when he breaks the news to young Santa, the boy isn't unhappy about it all. Turns out the young fellow loves sledding, ice skating, skiing and tobogganing. Living at the North Pole is like a dream come true for young Santa, just as it should be.

Young Santa in his first sleigh... with walruses, not reindeer!

From there we learn all the funny back stories that explain the personality of the Santa we all know and love. Why he loves red. Why he laughs the way he does. His love of geography. Why he's got such a big beard. And best of all, how he came to have such an awesome sleigh. These are important questions!

This is a great book to check out from the library or to add to your holiday book collection. The humor is real - I laughed out loud at many of the jokes - and the illustrations are charming. If you want to take a break from your serious Santa Claus studies, then you and your kids could do far worse than pick up Young Santa for a quick enjoyable read.

Have you read Young Santa? What did you think?