In Bad Kitty: Searching for Santa, by bestselling author/illustrator Nick Bruel, Kitty's back for another Christmas tale—this time involving Santa! In this hilarious story, Kitty battles with Santa and loses. Or does she? Kitty wants to write a letter. Actually, she wants to write a letter to Santa. But has Kitty been good this year? Hmmm . . . Kitty’s not so sure. She writes the letter anyway and is soon on her way to meet Santa in real life at the mall! Will she make it in time? Will Santa give Kitty what she’s asking for?
A gleefully dark and well-researched exploration of the history and customs of European Yuletide folklore. How did St Nicholas save children from cannibalism? Who were the Yule Lads and why would they steal your sausages? Why was the Alpine Father Christmas accompanied by a demonic figure called the Krampus who bundled children into sacks and dragged them off to Hell? And why do Spanish nativity scenes often feature a defecating peasant? Over the course of the 20th Century, a universal image developed around the world of Santa Claus as a kindly Christmas visitor but, prior to that, each country, town and community would have Christmas visitors of their own - sometimes human, sometimes animal, sometimes something else entirely - with their own curious set of mythology and customs. The Finns were visited by a pagan goat named Joulupukki that was said to eat anyone who misbehaved. In Iceland, it was said that any child who did not receive an item of new clothing for Christmas would be caught and consumed by the monstrous Christmas Cat! Bad Santascelebrates some of the most imaginative, terrifying and outright curious Christmas figures from across Europe - looking closely at its legacy of disquieting fairy stories. With beautiful black and white line drawings in each chapter, this unusual, entertaining and gleefully dark exploration of seasonal folklore will make an ideal Christmas gift and the perfect book for reading around the fireside.
On Christmas Eve, Santa sets off to deliver presents to a little boy. But between a snowstorm, an icy roof, and a dusty chimney, things don't go as expected.
Bad Santas is not a book for children. Here you will find the bloody, the bawdy and the downright bizarre in a celebration of the most imaginative, macabre and curious Christmas figures and customs from across Europe. Drawing on that continent's legacy of disquieting folk tales told at wintertime, Paul Hawkins' gleefully dark exploration of seasonal folklore is the perfect book for reading around the fireside.
Scalawag has been an outstanding cat all year (at least, according to him). Any troublesome incidents that Santa may or may not have heard about to the contrary can be fully explained. So, Scalawag sets out to write Santa a series of letters in anticipation of Christmas, clearing up any potential misunderstandings, and of course, expressing his Christmas gift wish -- a Catman and Robin video game! But when one incident involves the Christmas tree catching on fire, and Miss Violet (Scalawag's ever-loving, nurturing, and forgiving caretaker) ending up in the emergency room, Scalawag gets a new perspective on things. He writes one last letter to Santa asking him to forget about the video game, and instead asks him to bring a different gift . . . one that expresses the true warmth and spirit of Christmas. 40 pages. Picture book measures 9-3/4'' wide x 10'' high. Full-color throughout. Sturdy hardcover binding with dust jacket. Norma Lewis lives in Grand Haven, Michigan, with a cat coincidentally named Scalawag. He did not inspire the cat-astrophic shenanigans described in this or any other book, but she knows he could and lives in fear that he will. This is Norma's fifth book for children. Olivia Beckman worked for years in graphic design and magazine layout until one day her little inner bird whispered to her that it was time to focus on the type of illustration that inspired her to study the Fine Arts in the first place -- children's art! She feels very lucky to illustrate children's books -- and especially loves drawing people doing everyday activities, animals with fluffy fur, and mischievous cats.
Sometimes even the merriest, most cheerful guy on the planet wakes up on the wrong side of the bed… First, after a restless night due to Mrs. Claus's snoring, Santa awakes on Christmas morning and stubs his toe. Then the elves shrink his suit, his sleigh gets buried in a snowdrift, and he gets stuck in a chimney. Santa’s had just about enough! But just in the nick of time, he discovers a very special gift of milk and cookies waiting for him. As he munches on the delicious snack, Santa's remembers what Christmas is all about—the gift of love—and, merrily, his grumpies melt away. Now available as a board book, this merrily irreverent Yuletide story, brought to life by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, will tickle funny bones and touch hearts far and wide.
Willie Soke and Marcus are professional heist men, that take on the Santa Claus routine for the children at a different shopping mall every year as a front for the opportunity to disable the mall security system, clean out the safe, and then flee on Christmas Eve.
Julie Campbell needs to get Mr. McCarthy’s attention to pitch her business plan. But the man is not only busy, but an old fashioned, archaic oaf. She does everything for her job as the manager of an exclusive mall—she’s even dressed like an elf to help out one night. Her altruistic act leads her to the hot Santa… who she sees talking to Mr. McCarthy like they’re good friends. So, she comes over and pretends to be with Santa to get Mr. McCarthy’s attention—which ends up leading to a delicious fake date. All that Paxton Thurman wants is a holiday season without his family worrying about him since his breakup. When he’s disguised as Santa because of losing a bet, he meets a sexy blonde who summons him to go to a party with her, without knowing he’s a moneyed tech guru and nephew of the man Julie is trying to impress. She likes him for him, and he’ll take that any day. But a little lie snowballs into her mistrusting him on a much bigger issue. When he realizes she’s the one for him, he needs to show her where his loyalty lies—before he loses her for good.
Does Christmas always have to be a show? Or do you prefer it home alone? Do you dress for the after-glow? Or Is Christmas a bore and presents all a chore? Does the manger clip your wings? Or is it always time to wallow in seasonal sins? - M.T. Sands teases and delights with Ten Naughty Christmas Stories to lift the festive gloom and doom.
Now fully updated, this annual yearbook includes every review Ebert had written from January 2007 to July 2009. It also includes interviews, essays, tributes, and all-new questions and answers from his Questions for the Movie Answer Man columns.
