Review — Don't Kill Santa!
Kirkus — 11/1/2006
In nine warm and winning holiday tales, veteran storyteller Davis either looks back at his own
youthful experiences or recalls family tales from a previous generation. Writing in the same measured,
tongue-in-cheek tones in which he tells his stories live, he opens with his father’s description of the
simple pleasure of making a Christmas orange last as long as possible. He closes with an account of the
time he and a friend inadvertently trapped their fathers in a pit intended for their little brothers. And in
between, he describes encounters with sleds, department-store Santas and a pilfered cigar; what holidays
were like at Grandma and Grandpa’s non-electrified house; measures taken to make sure Santa didn’t
fall into the new oil heater just installed in the fireplace; a disastrous (and hilarious) mishap at a church
Christmas pageant, and similar memories. Most of these rural and small-town episodes are available as
recordings—on Davis’s Christmas at Grandma’s (1994) and elsewhere—but they translate just fine into
print, and for sharing, make the next best thing to a live concert. (Short stories. 10-12)
Title Details: Don't Kill Santa!
Author: Donald Davis
Interest Level: GR 5-8
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About August House
Recently recognized as one of "America's 101 Top Independent Publishers," August House is a highly-acclaimed and award-winning multimedia publisher of children's stories and folktale anthologies. August House's is based in Atlanta, GA.
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