And to All a Good Ninja: Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas by Rubin Pingk

CHRISTMAS EVE WAS THE MOST PERFECT SNOW DAY OF THE YEAR.

YUKIO HAD NEVER SEEN SUCH BIG SNOWFLAKES. THEY SEEMED MAGIC.

Little Yukio has but one thought! Get the others outside and have an EPIC snowball fight! But the other little martial arts students are timid.

"NO! SANTA CLAUS WANTS US TO BE GOOD LITTLE NINJAS!

WE DON'T WANT TO BE ON SANTA'S NAUGHTY LIST!"

What a regrettable group of greasy grinds! Yukio thinks. His classmates keep right on practicing their skills, while the best snow of the year goes to waste!

But Yukio also blames Santa Claus. So, that night when Santa squeezes and slithers down the chimney, Yukio's on an all-nighter ninja Santa stakeout.

YUKIO CREPT TO THE LOUDEST GONG AROUND...

CRASH!

"INTRUDER!!!" YUKIO YELLED.

Dutifully, all the good little ninjas jump awake and throw themselves into the fray, using the first weapons available--snowballs!

"BANZAI!"

It's the most EPIC snowball fight ever, as Santa finds a stealthy way to train his troops and gives Yukio his best Christmas present ever, in Rubin Pingk's ninja night before Christmas story, Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas (Simon and Schuster, 2015). Author-illustrator Pingk's inventive digital illustrations provide the pages with plenty of movement and style and all the good little ninjas at his dojo get plenty of presents. Yokio gets a special letter from Santa:

Dear Yukio,
I hope you enjoyed the EPIC snowball fight. I made it just for you!
Sincerely,
Samurai Santa

Says Publishers Weekly in their starred review, "... a frenzied, fun, and nontraditional Christmas tale. It’s an impressively disciplined debut for Pingk and, just as important, a blast to read."