Title: Santa’s Birthday Gift
Author: Sherrill S. Cannon
Year published: 2009
Publisher: Eloquent Books
Number of pages: 24
Recommended age: 3+
Daughter Rating: ★★★★★
Mom Rating: ★★★★★
Reviewed by: Renee and Danielle (Mother and Daughter)
Summary (from Amazon): If your child or grandchild has ever wondered where Santa fits in with the traditional Christmas story, now you can read them Santa’s Birthday Gift. Finally, a book that ties two holiday traditions into one inspirational tale of wonder – as Santa brings gifts to baby Jesus. The cleverly-written, rhyming book reveals Santa’s adventure from toymaker to star follower — right into the heart of Bethlehem where he meets Baby Jesus in the manger. Delivering toys to a king is a touching experience for both Santa and readers alike, as they discover where the tradition began — Santa makes a promise to Jesus to bring gifts to good boys and girls each year on Jesus’ birthday. This delightful story is engaging and delivers meaningful lessons using recognizable nativity characters, and of course, Santa and Jesus.
DAUGHTER SAYS
1. What is the story about? This book is about an “angel” named Santa who brings a gift to Baby Jesus.
2. What do you think of the cover and/or the pictures in the book? I liked the cover and the pictures in the book. I liked the pictures of Baby Jesus because he’s cute.
3. Who are the main character(s)? Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Santa are the main characters.
4. What is your favorite part of the book? My favorite part of the book is when Santa gives his gift to Baby Jesus.
5. What is your least favorite part of the story? There is no least favorite part – I liked it all!
6. Are there parts of the story that don’t make sense? No, it all made sense to me. There was nothing I didn’t understand.
7. How did the story make you feel? The story made me feel happy. I liked that the story of Santa was in the story of Jesus.
8. What did you learn from this story? I learned that Santa is kind of like an angel. I learned that in this story, Santa made a promise to Jesus to bring gifts to kids around the world every year.
9. Who do you think would like this book? I would recommend this book to boys and girls 5 years and older.
MOM SAYS
What I liked and disliked about it: If you have been following me for a while, you will already know that we are BIG, BIG fans of Sherrill Cannon and her wonderful books. You can check out our review of one of our favorites, Gimme-Jimmy. There are some things that Sherrill Cannon just does so well. She is a story-teller who uses rhyme to bring originality into tales which always contains a strong message for children regarding appropriate behaviour. In Santa’s Birthday Gift, Cannon provides us with a story to share with children who are curious about the relationship between Santa and Baby Jesus at Christmas-time.
I just really love the concept of this book. The story begins with the re-telling of the birth of Baby Jesus in Bethlehem and the coming of the Three Wise Men bearing gifts. The angels then come to visit the “small, holy boy” spreading the word about his birth. And then, we are introduced to an angel named Santa Claus who is a toy maker living at the North Pole. Santa also visits Baby Jesus with a sack full of toys and a unique gift which is a special promise to Jesus. Can you guess the promise made that magical night?
I am satisfied with the way that Cannon brings together these two stories. I know that some people would be offended by the idea that Santa could be an angel that was present at the time of Jesus’ birth, but I think it is really done in a very respectful way. I think Christians and non-Christians alike would like this story, because the underlying message is still about the glory of the birth of Christ and Santa is portrayed as someone who was inspired by Christ to share and spread His love.
One final word about the illustrations… These illustrations are not as “cartoony” as some of Cannon’s other books. They remind me of some of the older Little Golden books from decades ago and consequently they give the book a certain warmth that I really enjoyed.
My bottom line: This is a wonderful Christmas picture book that my kids and I enjoyed reading. I would highly recommend this book to families with children ages 3 years and older.
*Santa’s Birthday Gift was provided to us free-of-charge by the author in exchange for our honest opinion.*
About the Author
Sherrill Cannon
A former teacher and a grandmother of ten, all four of my books are in rhyme and all try to teach something like good manners and caring for others. In 2011-12, I have won a dozen National Awards for my books, Gimme-Jimmy, The Magic Word, Peter and the Whimper-Whineys, and Santa’s Birthday Gift.
My fifth rhyming book, Manner-Man, will be released in January 2013. I also have written six published and internationally produced plays for elementary school children. My husband of 52 years and I are now retired, and we travel in our RV from the east coast to the west coast each year to spend time with our children and grandchildren… sharing my books along the way!
All of my books are part of a CureJM Fundraiser where 50% of the cost of the books goes directly to the CureJM Foundation to try to find a cure for this incurable children’s disease.
To purchase Sherrill Cannon’s books and to help support the Cure JM Foundation, please click on the cover below:
