Santa's First Flight

by Sam Beeson, Tom Tolman (Illustrator)

Its santas first Christmas, its santas first flight. And eight chubby penguins launch into the night. It wasnt so easy cause nobody knew, why santa was coming or what he would do. Their children all huddled in bed filled with fear, their parents all said "he's not coming here". So put on your slippers and gather the kids you'll want to find out what young Santa Claus did.

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Childrens, Picture Books

48 pages

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sarah Limb]

The story fell a little flat for me. I didn’t understand the people who were afraid of the penguins. I like the storytelling of Santa finding out what works best for him but…. The relationship to the world just didn’t fit for me.

[David Hickenbotham]

Very fun, original, and the rhyming is really, really good. One of my favorite Christmas picture books.

[Diane]

All of my children have loved this story that is both humorous and reminds of "Someone much greater"!

[Woody Calhoon]

I really, really enjoyed reading this picture book. It is a very unusual way to depict Santa's beginnings and I have to say I rather enjoyed the little twist of using penguins over his more traditional reindeer (I love penguins.) The art in this book is very colorful and lively and the artist did a fantastic job of making each character, even the townsfolk, look very distinct from one another. The story, as I said, is very unique and that's a good thing. It's not often you get to see Santa's origins with a more modern twist and I think its excellent that the author got the chance. I'd highly recommend this to not only any parent looking for a fun story for their child come Christmas, but for any reader who just wants a fun, different Christmas tale.

[Mirissa Holbrook]

I was a little confused when I picked up this book and the Santa featured on the cover was an attractive ginger man, but I decided to give it a go anyway and I'm very glad that I did. I really liked that the townsfolk in the story started off skeptical because, let's face it, the idea of a man coming into your house while you're sleeping is at least a little creepy. But, the story talks about how Santa won them over, started bulking up on the complex carbohydrates, and traded in his flock of penguins for a fleet of reindeer. It was nice that, at the end of the book, the author brought the religious aspect into it by referencing how gifts from Santa represent the biggest gift of all, the one that "He" (God) gave to us.

[Taylor Owens]

I loved this book. It is not your typical Christmas story but it is so much fun. The pictures are great! It is a funny story that children will definitely get a kick out of. When Christmas time comes around I hope that I will remember to read this book in my classroom! This is also a book that I would definitely recommend adding to your home book shelves to read to your young children. This may be my favorite Christmas picture book I have yet to read!

[Diana]

Santa's First Flight was a really cute book. I loved that it showed the struggle of how Santa was learning and figuring out how to be the most successful at his job. It was fun to see how someone interpreted the beginning of Santa's career and how everyone was afraid of him rather than excited for him to come. The pictures were really pretty and the writing was very well done. It was a fun read.

[Ashlee Moser]

This was my favorite book out of all the holiday books. I liked how it provided a background to Christmas and how Santa had to go through a test run to figure things out. I think that students would love this because they always like to how things come to be or how they work. You could create an activity from this and have the students come up with their own explanation how Christmas came to be.

[Brianna]

This was such cute book! It starts with explaining how Santa used to use penguins and be skinny and clean shaven and then described how he became the jolly man he is today. Overall the story was extremely creative and well written. I also enjoyed how it rhymed. The pictures were fun to look at and drawn perfectly.

[Katie]

I loved that the plot was different in this book and it was not a typical Christmas book! It made me laugh, and I thought is was interesting how they told the evolution of Christmas. Very cute and funny!

[Malea Potter]

This book is so clever and funny! It takes a refreshing new look at Christmas. Sam Beeson is a very clever author! This is a book that kids and adult can all enjoy! I would love to own this book! And Beeson's UnValentine is a super good and funny book too! I would recommend either of these books!

[Ashley Whiteley]

Santa's First Flight is a very unique Christmas story. It is super funny and creative. If you want a good laugh read this book. The pictures are imaginative and you can definitely tell that it was meant for children. I love this book.

[Lindsey]

This charming Christmas book tells the story of Santa's first night and flight. There were no reindeer then; santa's slight was flown by penguins.

Read aloud K-2. Independent reading 2-3

[Staci]

This is hands down my favorite new Christmas book. It's hilarious, as well has a good message at the end. This is DEFINITELY one to add to your Christmas collection. We bought it and it's wonderful.

[Laura]

Funny, oddball, rhymes were terrific... a quirky little book but genuinely enjoyable

[Alyssa]

I loved the cute artwork and rhyme scheme in this book. I feel like children will really enjoy the unique new story of Santa's first Christmas.

[Michelle]

Great pictures, and lots of creativity. We are so accustomed to the typical reindeers and Santa and for once it was with penguins. Love that no matter how hard it got, Santa never gave up.

[Jesse Majors]

By far my favorite christmas book of all time! I read it at every christmas party i go to. Any book by Sam Beeson is phenomenal. I wish his books were at my child's school and city libraries.