Naughty Claudine's Christmas

September 4, 2017
Claudine, a bright-eyed girl with a blonde bob, has strong feelings about Santa: “He watched you when you were sleeping and when you were awake. Which was snooping.” Then there’s the fact that he sneaks into kids’ houses in the middle of the night. Claudine attempts to derail Santa’s impending home invasion by acting so naughty that he won’t visit her house, a course of action that doesn’t thrill her older sister. Retro details add charm to Kaufman’s cheery illustrations (Claudine sings along to a record player during a loud, late-night performance of “Silent Night”), and it’s always clear that there’s no maliciousness behind her bad behavior. Jennings playfully suggests that skepticism (and an awareness of one’s own comfort zone) is a good thing—and something Santa can respect, as it turns out. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. Illustrator’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary.

October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-Young Claudine is not fond of Santa's snooping ways and his habit of breaking into homes, so she tries to figure out a way to keep him out. She writes him a polite letter asking that her presents be mailed to her and then decides to be as naughty as possible. When Claudine's sister Maxine points out that Santa has to come down the chimney to deliver Maxine's presents, Claudine lies in wait on Christmas Eve. She falls asleep-but luckily, Santa somehow got the message, because all the presents are waiting for the family in the front yard. The story is pretty weak-Claudine's preference for having no presents at all rather than a visit from Santa is baffling, as is why she thinks that a nice letter won't work but being naughty will, and the finale is anticlimactic. The cartoon illustrations are bright and charming, and blonde Claudine's red-and-white-striped pajamas are echoed on the endpapers. VERDICT Light and mildly entertaining Christmas fare, especially for young contrarians.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
A little girl named Claudine tries to misbehave just before Christmas so that Santa won't come into her house to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. Claudine doesn't like the idea of Santa watching her and determining if she is naughty or nice. She also doesn't "want Santa to break into her home." So she decides to act up in the days before Christmas so that Santa will skip her house, although her older sister claims he will still come since she is well-behaved. Claudine's minor mischief includes squirting toothpaste all over the bathroom, tracking pink paint footprints on the floor, and blowing her nose on her mother's skirt. On Christmas morning there are no presents under the tree for either sister, but Claudine finds all the family's presents on the front porch with a note from Santa. Claudine, her family, and Santa are white; some of the children waiting in line to see Santa are other ethnicities. The plot isn't especially original, and it isn't believable that a child of Claudine's age (around 6) would want to forego Christmas presents rather than have Santa deliver them. Appealing illustrations have a retro, 1960s vibe with skirts on the female characters and a record player in Claudine's room. The composition of the illustrations and the overall design are attractive and polished. Entertaining and amusing, if not particularly groundbreaking. (Picture book. 3-6)

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September 15, 2017
Preschool-G Claudine is creeped out by the thought of Santa sneaking into her house, snooping around, and looking to see who's asleep or awake. Also, he passes out presents based on kids' naughtiness or niceness? Still, she figures out how to use that to her advantage. To drive Santa away, she's unusually naughty in the days leading up to Christmas, though her big sister warns that she won't get any presents. On the big morning, it looks like she's right, until Claudine opens the front door and finds a pile of gifts just outside. Written with plenty of dialogue, the story moves along at a good pace. The richly colorful digital illustrations create a jaunty tone, illustrating familiar seasonal activities as well as Claudine's antics, which are mildly mischievous rather than destructive. An unusual take on the Christmas theme, this picture book will appeal to kids who loved David Shannon's It's Christmas, David! (2010) and are ready for a somewhat longer picture book about a girl with good intentions, patient parents, and a benevolent Santa.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)