Stop That Santa!

STOP THAT SANTA is a cute, rhyming holiday-themed picture book. Detective Cluehound is in charge of decorating the Christmas tree - but it is stolen by Santa! As he chases Santa to get the tree back, he encounters lots of holiday-themed scenes in stores, snow, and even with a choir. At the end of the story, Santa leaves a stunning Christmas tree in its place with a note.

What I loved: This is a silly, rhyming adventure that is thoroughly holiday-themed. Each page features Christmas colors and details that keep readers thinking about the holidays throughout. All is well that ends well and Santa leaves a nice replacement tree at the end of the story, finishing on a pleasant note.

The rhyming text has a great rhythm that makes it fun to read aloud and listen to. The story is easy to follow for little ones and works perfectly for preschoolers and young elementary school readers who will enjoy the colorful scenes, holiday themes, and silly moments throughout.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, it seems outside of the spirit of the holiday to have Santa be the thief (rather than an elf or someone else causing mischief), but the ending is happy so it all works out.

Final verdict: STOP THAT SANTA! is a silly, rhyming holiday picture book that is perfect for fans of the HOW TO CATCH series.

Detective Cluehound and Sergeant Squirrel jump into action when someone grabs the Christmas tree and runs off while they are busy decorating the neighborhood for the upcoming holiday. Santa is consistently one step ahead of them until he finally makes his escape using his reindeer. Cluehound and Squirrel think they are at a loss, but they find something awaiting them in the town square. What could this be?

What I Liked: While children might initially be worried that Santa is a bad guy as he steals this town’s tree, they will be delighted by the ending of this story. This is a great book to teach children about misunderstandings and the importance of communication, as much of the story's drama could have been avoided if the characters had simply spoken to one another.

The illustrations in this book are paired well with the words, and there are areas in which the font changes to emphasize different points in the story. Adults will have fun reading this one aloud, as it has many places where tone can shift or where pauses are naturally included. There are humorous moments included, such as when the chase takes us through carolers, so the words in the book are a play on Jingle Bells.

Final Verdict: Stop That Santa! is a colorful and action-packed story that follows Detective Cluehound and Sergeant Squirrel as they chase Santa around town. Children ages 3 and up will enjoy the pursuit that takes place in the book and the fun characters of Cluehound and Squirrel. This is a great book for Christmas time to introduce children to Santa and to show the giving nature of Christmas.