10/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Young Claudine is not fond of Santa's snooping ways and his habit of breaking into homes, so she tries to figure out a way to keep him out. She writes him a polite letter asking that her presents be mailed to her and then decides to be as naughty as possible. When Claudine's sister Maxine points out that Santa has to come down the chimney to deliver Maxine's presents, Claudine lies in wait on Christmas Eve. She falls asleep—but luckily, Santa somehow got the message, because all the presents are waiting for the family in the front yard. The story is pretty weak—Claudine's preference for having no presents at all rather than a visit from Santa is baffling, as is why she thinks that a nice letter won't work but being naughty will, and the finale is anticlimactic. The cartoon illustrations are bright and charming, and blonde Claudine's red-and-white-striped pajamas are echoed on the endpapers. VERDICT Light and mildly entertaining Christmas fare, especially for young contrarians.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
