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Santa's Gotta Go!

Author Derrick Barnes

Illustrated by Courtney Lovett

Hardcover

$18.99 US

Penguin Young Readers | Nancy Paulsen Books

8.8"W x 11.25"H x 0.34"D (22.4 x 28.6 x 0.9 cm) | 14 oz (403 g) | 24 per carton

On sale Oct 10, 2023 | 32 Pages | 9780593530436

Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3

Reading Level: Lexile AD710L | Fountas & Pinnell M

Sales rights: World

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Children's Books > Children's Picture Books

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We all know that Santa Claus is one cool dude! But how is he as a houseguest? Find out in this hilarious picture book by bestselling author Derrick Barnes!

The number one thing on Monte and Mabel’s Christmas wish list is the chance to hang out with Santa Claus. So when his sleigh breaks down in their yard as he’s finishing up his last delivery, they couldn’t be more delighted--Santa’s gonna stay with them while he waits for spare parts to be delivered! It’s a dream come true . . . or is it? It turns out Santa doesn’t have a lot of experience being a houseguest, and likes to rock out late at night and swigs spaghetti sauce from the jar. But when he messes with Dad’s motorcycle and Mabel’s computer tablet, he’s gone a step too far and the whole family agrees--Santa’s gotta go! But how on earth do you kick out Santa Claus?

Readers will get a kick out of this hilarious holiday tale by New York Times bestselling author Derrick Barnes, with its funny reminder to be careful what you wish for and to remember that sharing the holiday spirit can take a lot of goodwill.

* “This contemporary, creative story portrays a Black Santa Claus who works out, sports tattoos, and only has a slight belly. Children will delight in many modern elements of the story, such as Santa ordering a part for his sleigh online using a laptop. Crisp illustrations transport readers into the comfortable and loving home of a young Black family and clearly convey the family’s emotions on their faces: exhaustion, annoyance, anger, surprise, and more. Children will love seeing an easily relatable Santa Claus and family.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“The Mack family wants to host Santa Claus, but they don’t realize what they’re in for when their wish comes true. . . . Lovett’s bright, wonderfully expressive cartoon illustrations feature a relatable Black family and a very modern Black Santa: tall and muscular with jeans, tattoos, and a red flannel shirt. Santa’s outlandish shenanigans will have readers giggling and turning pages to see how the Macks will survive his stay. A fun reminder about the holiday spirit of giving.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In this lively holiday read, a Black family hoping to welcome Santa to their home get more than they bargained for after his sleigh breaks down. . . . Via blow-by-blow text and expressive thin-lined art, Barnes and Lovett bring comedic havoc to this vision of a Santa who’s more chaotic than nice.” —Publishers Weekly

“In this silly Santa story, siblings Monte and Mabel Mack invite Santa Claus to stay with their family after his sleigh breaks down on Christmas. . . . Order is restored, and kindness and patience recognized. Lovett’s humorous digital illustrations will make readers believe in a Santa who wears skinny jeans and has several tattoos and an earring.” —The Horn Book

Derrick Barnes is a National Book Award Finalist for his graphic novel Victory. Stand!-Raising My Fist For Justice, which also won the YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award, and a Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut which received a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award, and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers. In 2020, he became the only author to win the Kirkus Prize twice for the New York Times bestseller, I Am Every Good Thing, which also won a Charlotte Huck Award and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor. Derrick is also the creator of the New York Times bestselling companion picture books, The King of Kindergarten and The Queen of Kindergarten. He is a native of Kansas City, MO, but currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his enchanting wife, Dr. Tinka Barnes, and their four sons, the Mighty Barnes Brothers. View titles by Derrick Barnes

Courtney Lovett received her BFA in Visual Arts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. As a Black American and a native of the DC-Maryland-Virginia area, her work reflects her heritage and upbringing, focusing on perspectives that are often underrepresented or misrepresented in art and media. View titles by Courtney Lovett

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