Santa's Helper: OLIVIA Claus by Ian Falconer and Kama Einhorn

IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

"I WANT A ROBOT!" IAN TOLD OLIVIA.

"BUT YOU ALREADY HAVE A ROBOT," OLIVIA REMINDED HIM.

"BUT MY ROBOT WANTS A ROBOT," IAN EXPLAINED.

"I WANT... I WANT.... I WISH I KNEW!" THOUGHT OLIVIA. I HAVE SO MANY TOYS ALREADY. WHAT DO I NEED?"

But on that Christmas Eve, Olivia finds that what she really wants is a toy she already has--her beloved sock monkey Matilda.

Matilda is missing! She's not where she always is--on Olivia's bed, and as Olivia and Ian search throughout the day, it seems that Matilda is nowhere to be found. What kind of Christmas can Olivia have without her best stuffed friend? Ian attempts to console Olivia with the suggestion that Santa will bring her a new and better Matilda. Olivia is horrified. "Grandma gave me Matilda when I was little," she insists.

Her father is no help. He can't find one of his favorite snowflake socks either.

And Ian can't finish putting together his jigsaw puzzle without a crucial missing piece.

"I THINK THERE MUST BE SOMEWHERE IN SPACE WHERE ALL THE MISSING THINGS GO." FATHER MUSES.

"IF I WERE SANTA CLAUS, I'D TRY TO RETURN ALL THE LOST THINGS TO THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEM," OLIVIA SAID.

Olivia drifts into a fantasy of herself as OLIVIA Claus, returning important lost things to the kids of the world, and when she comes back to the real world, she does what she can: with cardboard and scissors and crayons, she makes a replacement piece for Ian's unfinished puzzle.

"I WISH I COULD MAKE YOU A NEW MATILDA," SAYS IAN.

But Olivia's pet cat and dog, Perry and Edwin, step in to save the day, uncovering all the lost objects behind the sofa, where, thanks to Tina McNaughton's sly illustrations, we know they stashed them in the first place.

"NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS!" OLIVIA SAYS.

Kama Einhorn stands in well for creator Ian Falconer in Olivia's latest holiday outing, OLIVIA Claus (Simon & Schuster, 2010), all decked out with sparkles and festive red flocking for plenty of fa-la-la-la-la for the Olivia fan. Pair this one with Falconer's Olivia's Christmas or Olivia Helps with Christmas (Olivia Series) for a piggy pair of holiday fare.