Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Elves compete to make Santa new sleigh in imaginative tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In THE 12 SLEIGHS OF CHRISTMAS, the big day is just two weeks away when the North Pole elves discover that Santa's sleigh was damaged last Christmas. They form 12 teams to compete in designing and constructing a new one for Santa. The different versions are wildly imaginative, with sleighs that resemble a hot rod, a giant semi truck, a sailing ship with 50 sails, a blimp, a snowplow, a train, a spaceship, and more. And one rebel elf works alone to rehab Santa's damaged traditional sleigh. After Santa makes his choice on Christmas Eve, the elves have a race with the remaining creations.
Is It Any Good?
Kids who love cars and trucks will love this action-packed story about alternatives to Santa's traditional sleigh. Author Sherri Duskey Rinker knows a thing about vehicles, after writing Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and its follow-up, Mighty, Mighty Construction Site. The text has great momentum, but it's rather lengthy, and some the rhyming schemes are inconsistent, making it a less than smooth read-aloud in places. ("He's been working privately, / as hard at work as one can be, / on a secret back-up plan.") But car and truck lovers might not care.
Jake Parker's cartoon-like illustrations are visually dazzling, from the fanciful sleighs to the antic elves. There's a welcome diversity in the cast, and the independent-minded elf hero of the tale has brown skin.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about all the different kinds of sleighs in The 12 Sleighs of Christmas. Which one do you like best?
Were you surprised by which one Santa chose in the end? Which do you like better: old-style things or inventive new things?
Try drawing a new sleigh for Santa. Will it look like a car, a boat, a sailing ship, a spaceship, or something totally different?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Jake Parker
- Genre : Holiday
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks ) , Holidays
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Chronicle Books
- Publication date : October 24, 2017
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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