Santa Makes a Change

by Sol Chaneles, Jerome Snyder (Illustrator)

Tired of his old suit, Santa Claus asks his helpers to help him choose something different.

Genres: Childrens

38 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1970

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Tis the season! Time to read a picture book every day from my family's Christmas collection.

The concept here is amusing: Santa wants to try out a new look. So we get lots of funny pictures of him in other styles and uniforms.

But around the outfits we get lots of fat shaming, boring yammering, and petty bickering from Santa's reindeer, helpers, and a wholly unnecessary Jack Frost. And then the books ends with an awful poem.

Fail.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Santa thinks his outfit is outdated and needs a change. He gets help from his elves and even Jack Frost. They all make outfit recommendations. He tries on a lot of different outfits and in the end, the original is the best because this is how all the children recognize him.
A fun story about how change isn't always what's best. Be you and don't let others persuade you differently.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a bunch of disappointing vintage picture-books, I like the sparkling details in this one. Like watching the polar bears dancing on the lawn.... Of course the point is lost in the excitement (why not update the uniform, instead of choosing a uniform for a different career?). There's also an offensive "Indian chief" costume, and none of the elves (or reindeer?) are female. Nonetheless, it's the most fun of the books of this latest LFL stack and almost worth rounding to four stars.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure that the amount of text is appropriate for the target audience. I know my younger nieces and nephews will lose patience, especially since the illustrations aren't all that interesting. there are other better Santa books out there.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another owned by me a child.