The 12 Sleighs of Christmas: (Christmas Book for Kids, Toddler Book, Holiday Picture Book and Stocking Stuffer)
The 12 Sleighs of Christmas: (Christmas Book for Kids, Toddler Book, Holiday Picture Book and Stocking Stuffer) book cover

The 12 Sleighs of Christmas: (Christmas Book for Kids, Toddler Book, Holiday Picture Book and Stocking Stuffer)

Hardcover – Picture Book, October 24, 2017

by
Price
$9.35
Format
Hardcover
Pages
40
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1452145143
Dimensions
11.5 x 0.5 x 10 inches
Weight
1.06 pounds

Description

From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 2—After discovering Santa's sleigh is in a terrible state, the elves propose having a build-off to create a new and better sleigh in the two weeks before Christmas. Santa will select the winner. The endpapers show the various sleigh designs on green graph paper as a hint to what is coming. Rhyming text introduces the building teams' final designs, including a dragster sleigh with gliders instead of wheels; a tricked-out semi-truck that flies; a floating ship with 50 sails; a blimp—hot-air balloon hybrid; a motorcycle-sleigh; and "flying saucers, trucks with wings, all sorts of clever, crazy things." On Christmas Eve, Santa is amused and proud of all the elves' inventions, but nothing seems exactly right. The smallest elf crew member knows what to do, he has secretly been working on a backup plan—surprise! Santa's sleigh, restored. The 500-year-old classic ride wins the build-off. The colorful illustrations, created in brush pen and rendered digitally, are a perfect fit for sleigh creations reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's imaginative vehicles. VERDICT A splendid choice for any holiday read-aloud collection wishing to incorporate STEM concepts.—Diane Olivo-Posner, Los Angeles Public Library "A splendid choice for any holiday read-aloud."- School Library Journal "A splendid choice for any holiday read-aloud."- School Library Journal "Wildly imaginative."-Kirkus Reviews"Wildly imaginative."-Kirkus Reviews"Revels in imaginative detail."- The Horn Book Magazine "Revels in imaginative detail."- The Horn Book Magazine Chicago Tribune Best Children's Books of the YearChicago Tribune Best Children's Books of the Year"Rinker's zippy rhymes . . . and Parker's cartoons . . . mix magic and mechanics as the elves' imaginations and talents run wild."-- Publishers Weekly "Rinker's zippy rhymes . . . and Parker's cartoons . . . mix magic and mechanics as the elves' imaginations and talents run wild."-- Publishers Weekly "Kids who are obsessed anything on wheels will especially enjoy this rhyming tale."-- Parents Magazine "Kids who are obsessed anything on wheels will especially enjoy this rhyming tale."-- Parents Magazine "Kids who love cars and trucks will love this action-packed story about alternatives to Santa's traditional sleigh."-- Common Sense Media "Kids who love cars and trucks will love this action-packed story about alternatives to Santa's traditional sleigh."-- Common Sense Media "The perfect mix of retro charm and technical detail."-- The Chicago Tribune "The perfect mix of retro charm and technical detail."-- The Chicago Tribune "Revels in imaginative detail."-- The Horn Book "Revels in imaginative detail."-- The Horn Book Sherri Duskey Rinker is the author of #1 New York Times bestsellers Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train . Sherri lives in the Chicago area.Jake Parker is an illustrator based in Utah. He has worked on animated films, comics, and picture books, including The Little Snowplow and The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man . Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Which elf will build the coolest sleigh for the Christmas ride? SANTA will decide!
  • When the elves discover that Santa's sleigh is in a terrible state, they let their imaginations go wild—and soon there are sleighs of every kind, inspired by big rigs, motorcycles, zeppelins, and much more!The #1
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author of
  • Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
  • and the celebrated illustrator of Michael Chabon's
  • The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man
  • , team up for spirited vehicular silliness and classic Christmas cheer in this turbo-charged read-aloud destined to become a holiday classic.• Engaging take on the 12 Days of Christmas• Detail filled dynamic picture book• Fun-to-read rhyming book
  • Kids and their families who like books such as
  • Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
  • ,
  • Bear Stays Up for Christmas
  • , and
  • Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
  • will love this book.
  • This book is perfect for:• Children and fans of Sherri Duskey Rinker• Fans of transportation/vehicle themes• Librarians• Parents and grandparent

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(181)
★★★★
25%
(75)
★★★
15%
(45)
★★
7%
(21)
★
-7%
(-21)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Add to your Christmas Book Rotation!

The plot is simple—Santa is in need of a new sled, so 12 teams assemble to build “the coolest sleigh for Santa.” The vehicles created are fun for any child: a dragster, big-rig, floating ship, blimp, snowplow, motorcycle, flying saucer, and more. Each vehicle has special features that kids can’t help but love. The book includes both accurate terminology (sleeper cab, straight pipe, booms, levels, pulleys) and silly terms (turbo blast).

The writing switches between a narrator and dialogue bubbles from the elves. The book has great rhymes and rhythm, and it uses lots of sound noises, which help keep even younger readers interested.

The illustrations are adorable and incredibly detailed, containing many hidden gems, such as candy cane wrenches and gas cans labeled “magic.” The color scheme is more muted, without overly loud, dominating hues. Though all male, the elves illustrated represent a diversity of skin colors and ages.

The book emphasizes team work, creativity, and hard work. In the end, it’s the littlest elf who “wins” by fixing Santa’s sleigh.

This is an excellent story to bring into your Christmas book rotations!
8 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

A most inventive Christmas read-aloud

Santa's ride is in need of some serious TLC so all the elves are tasked with designing new and better versions of Santa's sleigh. Without giving anything away, one elf has a perfect, and perfectly unexpected, solution. Kids will delight in the crazy sled ideas that illustrator Jake Parker created and Rinker's rhyming prose is a perfect Christmas season read aloud.
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Great holiday book

Great holiday book. My 3 year old son loves this book just as much as Steam Train Dream Train and Good Night Good Night Construction Site.
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Favorite Book of All Time

This book is one of our very favorites!!!! We read it every year. The book I bought this time was for my nephew! It is the funnest book, especially if you are into motors, car or anything with wheels!
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Cute Christmas book but needs more gender diversity

Great illustrations, and I love all the inventions, but WHY are all the elves dudes? Come on! Same issue in the author’s book Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site....why do all of the types of construction equipment have to be dudes?
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

This is the most amazing book! It’s written by the author of Goodnight ...

What happens when Santa’s sleigh breaks down right before the big night? Think Home Improvement meets Pimp My Ride.

This is the most amazing book! It’s written by the author of Goodnight Construction Site. My 5 year old son adores it and we just got it yesterday. It’s so original and so fun to read! They should make it a cartoon. It’s not 5 seconds long or just a remake like most Christmas books. This will be a hit for years. We were so excited to find it!
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

If you love cute AND cool, buy this book!

A joyous exploration of what happens when Santa's sleigh breaks down. There's something for everyone: Jake Parker's richly detailed and humour illustrations of all the crazy and cool designs the elves come up with to replace the sleigh add worlds of value to Sherri Duskey Rinker's skillful, cute and funny writing. The layouts and designs are beautiful and the action (and amazing mechanical designs) build to a fever pitch and it ends with a bang. Highly recommended and a future classic.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Adorable, creative

Adorable, creative, fresh and fun! This book is a wonderful Christmas addition to the library of any vehicle loving boy or girl in your home!
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Son loved it

My 2yo loved this book! A little long but you can paraphrase. The pics are great!
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Clever Story

A novel twist for a holiday story. Great for a boy or girl who is a truck enthusiast. Fun and a little funny, with a nice ending. A freshly different tale to add to your holiday collection. Sound purchase.
1 people found this helpful

Related Books