Santa Is Coming to Colorado

by Steve Smallman, Robert Dunn (Illustrator)

It's Christmas Eve. Have you been good? Santa's packed up all the presents and is headed your way! With the help of a certain red-nosed reindeer, Santa flies over many landmarks in Colorado! "Ho, ho, ho!" laughs Santa. "Merry Christmas, Colorado!"

Genres: Christmas, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Steve Smallman lives in Staffordshire with his wife, two dogs and two cats. He has four children and a grandchild. Steve has been illustrating children’s books for almost 30 years and writing his own stories for slightly less. He also teaches illustration workshops in schools, including mural-painting. Steve is the author of Smelly Peter the Great Pea Eater (Winner of the Sheffield Children's Book Award 2009) and The Lamb Who Came for Dinner (Shortlisted for the Red House Children's Book Award and read by Meatloaf on CITV's Bookaboo). When he’s not working, Steve enjoys films, television, gardening and walking in the countryside.

Steve Smallman on Steve Smallman:

I started working as an illustrator when I was in my final year at Art College and now, over 28 years later I still haven't got a proper job! I've illustrated literally hundreds of books, predominantly in educational publishing. A few years ago I was main illustrator for Longman's 'Story Street' reading scheme, illustrating 79 titles and writing 5.

I've worked in children's television, specifically in character development and most notably in the 'Raggy Doll' series in the mid to late 1980's. I have also done a certain amount of licensed work, illustrating characters such as Postman Pat, Bill and Ben and Sesame Street.

I've been described as an 'Animal Artist', not I hasten to add because I'm wild and hairy but because I love to draw animals and especially like to give them human characteristics.

I've been writing children's books for about 6 years and have already had several picture books published with more in development.

I've got 4 great children and although they're all adults now, my memories of them growing up inspire and inform my writing.

Reviews

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The wording is a little convoluted but it’s a fun take on the story, with Santa flying above Wyoming and eventually landing on the Cash Register Building. It even has an illustration of the Libeskind Denver Art Museum.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve read this to Kait every year since she was born in 2014.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw a format of this book for Halloween and thought it was rather cute. When I saw there was a Santa version I had to pick it up. After all, I do live in Colorado and to have a book written specifically for the states that children might live in is rather fun. What kid wouldn't like to read about places they might see every day in a book?

I loved the juxtapose of bright colors for Santa, the elves, deer, and city lights verses the night sky. The illustrators did quite a fine job on each and every page. They managed to engage me as Santa flies through the different area of Colorado.

Even though I am sure the author essentially writes the various books the same way, it is obvious he still has to do a bit of research to come up with specific land marks for each and every city. Check out the places that he went to in Colorado.

Of course no book would be complete unless there was a problem on the way. I won't tell you what that is but I will tell you that one of the reindeer saves the night. No, it wasn't the red nosed one either.

I will certainly be buying a couple more of these books to send to my Grandchildren where they live. I know they will love it. Oh and for the record, he does have certain cities too. Ho ho ho!

This book gets 4 stars.

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The review expressed here is 100% my own and may differ from yours.

~Tis the season...Naila Moon

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you can't help but notice that it's likely the exact same story in all the books of the series, with just a few place names changed around for each one. I'd like to get my hands on some of the other ones just to compare.

So we wander all over the state of Colorado, taking in the sights, while Santa does his job. It's kind of fun to recognize the various landmarks as you go. I enjoyed this one well enough, but I wouldn't go out of my way to hunt this one down.

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was Kait's first Christmas Eve read. I want to start the tradition of the Christmas Eve box: new pjs for everyone, a book for her, a movie and popcorn, hot chocolate, candy etc to go with it. I don't think we will be in Colorado for too long, so I liked the idea of a local book like this that we can revisit when we tell her stories about when she was a baby here. And as a bonus, the story was cute too.

[Amy (Other Amy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I would have coughed up one more whole star for this if it had been accurately named (i.e. Santa is Coming to Denver), but it wasn't, so I didn't. It did get points for prominently and correctly featuring many local landmarks (particularly the cash register building, or, as my family says, the Remington shaver building), but overall, just one more salvo in the long war of micro-aggression against the Western Slope. (No, I am not remotely serious. But it was still meh.)