Susan Karnovsky

ISBN 0866113347 - Always happy to find books to add to my Christmas collection, and especially happy to find stories I haven't read over and over, Daddy's Surprise Christmas was a pleasant find and fits into my collection perfectly.

Bryan is very sad that his father has little time to spend with him, so when he gets a call and dashes off, Bryan stows away on the trip. They reach their destination before Bryan is found and the surprise is on everyone - no one was expecting Bryan and Bryan definitely wasn't expecting see his father standing there with Santa Claus! Bryan's dad is a famous scientist and Santa has a problem with his new sleigh. The adults have no time to spare and Bryan is left to his own devices. Boredom leads him to discover the answer to the problem: it's not the sleigh, it's the reindeer. They're sad that Santa has no time to spend with them! That's taken care of and Christmas is saved.

One complaint: Bryan's father must leave immediately and the next sentence begins "An hour later, a special limousine was there..." That's just bad writing. The illustrations are all right, not dynamite. One nice note which many young kids (those who can't tell time) might not catch: the time on the clock changes in every picture, which gives a clue to how many hours poor Bryan's been bored. It's a nice little book and definitely getting a spot on my shelf.

- AnnaLovesBooks… (altro)

ISBN 0866113339 - I'm always happy to add to my collection of Christmas books, especially when I find a story I haven't read a million times before. The Elf Who Lived Next Door by Bill and Susan Karnovsky fits in nicely.

Melissa is sure that their neighbor, Mr Short, is an elf. Her brother, Joe, on the other hand, doesn't believe in elves - or Santa! When Mr Short has to leave town on business the day before Christmas, he asks the kids to feed his guppies and Melissa is excited. This is her chance to see the inside of an elf's house! Joe reminds her what they're there for but it does no good, as Melissa looks around and finds more evidence that Mr Short is, indeed, an elf. Their neighbor arrives home just then, with a few surprises, not the least of which is the sound of a sleigh on the rooftop.

The story is a tad abrupt. Melissa says Mr Short is an elf, he gives them the key and they go inside; he returns while they're inside. The text does indicate a passage of time - the key is given to them on the day before Christmas and, when Joe tells Melissa that he doesn't believe in Santa, she points out all the gifts he received. That does show that it's actually a couple days later, at least, but it's so subtle that it's almost unnoticeable. The illustrations by Yvette Banek are cute and have lots of fun detail. There is a mouse in almost every illustration and other animals are sprinkled here and there. Mr Short's Christmas tree even has a face. Not destined to be a great Christmas classic, but it's a fun little book.

- AnnaLovesBooks… (altro)