In the Shape of a Boar

by Lawrence Norfolk

Deciding that his sleigh is too old to use for delivering presents, Santa Claus gets a helicopter but finds after several mishaps that his sleigh and reindeer are still the most reliable transportation.

Genres: Christmas

322 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Lawrence Norfolk (born 1963) is a British novelist known for historical works with complex plots and intricate detail. His novels are also known for their unusually large vocabulary.

He was born in London but lived in Iraq until 1967 and then in the West Country of England. He read English at King's College London and graduated in 1986. He worked briefly as a teacher and later as a freelance writer for reference book publishers.

In 1992, he won the Somerset Maugham Award for his first novel, Lemprière's Dictionary, about events surrounding the publication, in 1788, of John Lemprière's Bibliotheca Classica on classical mythology and history.

His second novel, The Pope's Rhinoceros, is based on the history of an actual animal also known as Dürer's Rhinoceros. Themes in the work include the lost city of Vineta, the sack of Prato, and the Benin bronze-making culture on the river Niger.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Santa discovers that tradition beats technology when he tries to deliver the goodies using a newfangled helicopter. A fun and enjoyable story, and I LOVE that Santa's sleigh is YELLOW, and decorated with rosemaling.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cute Christmas picture book by Carolyn Haywood. Santa thinks he should upgrade his beat up sleigh for a helicopter.The reindeers end up in the pasture. It is truly a funny story. Love hearing my daughter laugh out loud.

[Jeani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank goodness those reindeer were loyal!