Santa’s Secret

A little girl discovers something unexpected during a holiday trip to Grandma’s house: all the Santas she sees look different! Only one of them can be the real Santa, but which one could it be? With trusty notebook in hand, the young detective hatches a plan to track down the genuine article. Will she uncover Santa’s Secret?

It’s hard to find a new take on Christmas, particularly when it comes to stories about Santa, but Denise Brennan-Nelson has struck gold here by offering up a Yuletide mystery about the jolly fat man and letting the story unfold from there. After all, kids are naturally inquisitive, so why not have a clever protagonist ask a question many children have no doubt asked their parents before?

And the investigation in question is absolutely charming. Told in rhyming couplets, the story explores all the things a child would really want to know about Santa and his operation — like the reindeers’ favorite foods — and wraps it up in the cozy colors of the holidays. The imagery is vibrant and rich, the background populated with people and things (almost crowded, in fact), and every Santa feels like a distinct character, each with a story to tell.

Santa’s Secret shouldn’t remain a secret for long. It’s too much fun to stay hidden for long.