Santa's Stormy Christmas Eve

Linda Ludke is a librarian at the London Public Library.

Santa worries that a blizzard will prevent him from making his
deliveries. When his sleigh becomes stuck in the snow, the reindeer and
elves wonder, “could the spirit of Christmas be lost?” A Christ
figure arrives, announcing, “I’m the Messenger Sent, and my mission
is meant / to show you what we can achieve; / For in dreams we can fly,
if we truly try.” With a miraculous push, He sends Santa into the sky
to complete his journey.

The striking mixed-media illustrations were created using a resist
technique. The colourful, naive folk-art paintings seem at odds with the
structured, rhyming verse. The stanzas sound awkward to the ear, and the
language is over-embellished: “the expression of pain, was engraved to
remain on his usually jovial face.” The message is well intended, but
the ornate verse will fail to appeal to children. Not recommended.