Dumb Cluck at Christmas: Minerva Louise at Christmas by Janet Morgan Stoeke

The kids can't believe what they are seeing. "Wait! An evergreen is decorated with colored lights! Is it party time? On the roof?"

"Oh, look! They've invited goats!"

Minerva Louise, the family's devoted hen, is worried. And there's a strange farmer in a odd red hat up there with the goats with jingly harnesses.

But that farmer's wagon has lost all its wheels!

And even more strange, that big farmer is jumping down a well on the roof. Oh, my!

Minerva Louise, the family hen, aims to protect her people, so she follows the farmer in the hat down the well, and finds herself inside the house.

"Wait! That tree wasn't in here before! And that pretty hen is sitting up there to warm up."

As Minerva Louise inspects the tree, she notices a box under it with some round, colored things inside.

"Look! She's been laying the most beautiful eggs! And they're all over the branches!"

Minerva Louise may be a dumb cluck, but she does her best to guard her family from a mysterious midnight visitor. He finishes decorating the tree, unpacks presents from his pack, and even snacks on the goodies that Minerva is sure are there for the family's breakfast. She scolds the farmer in the red hat for sticking some stuff in her family's socks, too. But then, with a smile, he pulls out one more be-ribboned box and presents it to Minerva Louise herself.

Christmas comes as a surprise to Minerva Louise, in this funny hen's-eye view of Christmas Eve in a silly noodle tale just right for young celebrants. And when the family wakes up, they are greeted by their pet hen nesting in her very own gift box under the tree, in Janet Morgan Stoeke's Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve (Dutton Books for Young Readers). Kids love noodlehead stories, and Minerva Louise plays her jolly role with aplomb in this book from her own series of easy-reading holiday tales. Other seasonal stories about Minerva are Minerva Louise on Halloween and A Hat for Minerva Louise.

Santa's Snack! Cookiesaurus Christmas by Amy Fellner Dominy

Santa will be here soon.

Look! The cookie plate is empty!

The big guy should have the best cookie to get him home to the North Pole, and that means me, Cookiesaurus Rex!

Tyrannosaurus Rex is accustomed to being at the top of the food chain, and he believes he and only he should be served up for Santa on his Christmas Eve circuit of deliveries. But when Cookiesaurus plants himself in Santa's plate, he's summarily removed!

It's not fair! Dinosaurs have Christmas spirit, too!

But Cookiesaurus can't seem to convince everyone that there's a place for dinos as Santa's snack. The Baker certainly doesn't seem to think so! He scoops up Star Cookie and plops him onto the plate in place of Cookiesaurus, but Cookie slyly removes him. When Baker gives Bell the spot of honor, Cookiesaurus accidentally on purpose knocks over Santa's glass of milk all over Bell. Sorry, Soggy, old chap!

But Baker has other alternatives more appropriate for Santa's snack. Baker cleans up the mess and this timed his spatula scoops up jolly Gingerbread Boy and drops him on Santa's plate.

Cookiesaurus sulks.

WAIT JUST ONE STINKIN' STOMPIN' MINUTE!

But there is a higher calling in store for this apex raptor cookie on the tree, in Amy Fellner Dominy's and Nate Evans' tempting new holiday tale, Cookiesaurus Christmas (Cookiesaurus Rex) (Disney Hyperion, 2018). Who knew that cookies were rivals for a place on Santa's plate? Authors Dominy and Evans have stirred up a tempting Christmas tale with a happy ending and all the toppings that will likely prompt a bit of  cut-out cookie baking for the family tree. Artist AG Ford follows through with detailed tasty illustrations that add to the fun of the festive season. As Kirkus says, "[this] cheeky dino is full of personality and spunk, and his facial expressions are priceless."

For another funny tale of rivalry between Santa's helpers, share this one with Aaron Blabey's popular, Pig the Elf (Pig the Pug).

Greed is NOT Good! Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey

Dear Santa,
May I please have something nice for Christmas?
--From Trevor
P.S. I love you so much!

Trevor, the humble little dachshund, has penned a modest little letter to Santa. But that other dog in the household is something else again!

Pig the Pug's Christmas list is a bit more... shall we say, extensive?

He'd written his list.
And he'd asked for a lot,
But Santa takes orders,
So why the heck not?

Pig is a pug who only wants one thing--MORE!

Pig's list is long--yards and yards long--with wishes for everything from a unicorn (real, not fake) to longer legs. And when Trevor dutifully points out that Santa won't come until they are abed, Pig is having none of his silly Christmas Eve rules.

"Sleep is for fools!
Sleep is for losers!
I won't go to bed
With the rest of you snoozers!

Pig the Pug stands guard by the twinkling tree, vowing to see that he gets his due. But the wait is tedious and Pig nods off a bit, waking to find a portly old guy depositing gifts in two equal piles, one labeled "Trevor" and one labeled "Pig." Pig the Pug in indignant!

"I asked for MORE!" shouted Pug,
Sounding very unkind.
Then he nipped poor old Santa's
Big rosy behind!

Santa tries to make his escape up the chimney, but Pig is pugnacious, his jaws clamped on Santa's derriere all the way to the rooftop sleigh. Santa orders his reindeer into the air, and they leap upward with Pig still dangling from the, er, rear.

Pig's selfish greed has indeed gotten him once more into a regrettable situation, in Aaron Blabey's Christmas cautionary tale, Pig the Elf (Pig the Pug) (Scholastic Press, 2017). Will Pig cool his ardor for acquisitiveness in the cold polar air, or will he meet his long overdue downfall this time? Author Blabey has just the right ending in store for his greedy pug pup, and kids will giggle with glee at the irony of Pig's comeuppance, (although secretly they may hope that Pig the Pug won't totally reform before the next book is written). Blabey's jolly quatrains rhyme their way merrily through this little morality tale, while his illustrations are just as over-the-top hilarious as ever, with both front and back endpapers fittingly filled with Pig's avaricious wish list.

Other popular picture books about Pig are Pig the Pug, Pig the Winner (Pig the Pug), and Pig the Fibber.

Santa Claus Snacks around the World: A World of Cookies for Santa by M.E Furman

All around the world Christmas is a time for giving.

"Faithfully, truly, yearly, newly, somehow Santa always comes,"* to bring gifts to children everywhere. And kids have long loved being able to give something good back to Santa.

In North American, youngsters are likely to leave a couple of chocolate chip cookies and a small glass of milk. Santa's never complained, but elsewhere in the world, youngsters have their own favorites to offer the Yuletide saint.

Who gets the first visit from Santa? Christmas day first dawns on Christmas Island, Kiritimati, near the International Date Line, in the South Pacific, where kids have plenty of coconuts for their chewy macaroons. In New Zealand his reindeer get carrots and St. Nick gets Anzac "biscuits." In Australia, where chimneys are few, he has a master key for each front door and gets fruity cookies and cold milk or perhaps beer.

Across Asia there is a slice of cherry cake in Japan, and in the Dutch-influenced Sinterklaas tradition in Indonesia, the Saint finds a pineapple-topped nastar cookie. In India children leave spicy chai with crispy kulkuls to munch. In South Africa Santa finds Dutch chocolates and hertzog cookies, and in Malawi kids show their appreciation with ombatata, sweet potato cookies. And in Bethlehem, the treat is ma'moul, stuffed with dates, honey, and nuts.

Crisscrossing Europe, Santa is coming down the home stretch. In Russia he even has a minion, Snegurochka the Snow Maiden, to deliver the goods, and she gets the hot tea and honey spiced pryaniki cookies. Scandinavian youngsters leave risalmande pudding, and in Germany he gets a choice--Pepparkkakor or Springerle. Naturellement, French chefs go all out with dessert buffet and fine wine. In Spain it's Turron, a nougat-and-nuts dulce, while the British Isles offer mincemeat cookies and, of course, a spot, of Earl Grey tea.

It's a long haul over the Atlantic, giving Santa time to grow hungry enough for the fruity pan de pasequa, a fruit-filled sweet bread in Chile, and of course, familiar Mexican wedding cakes, with, for a nice change, a cup of cinnamon-flavored hot chocolate. With stops across the two westward continents, Santa's sleigh makes the long flight to one of his last destinations, Hawaii, where he puts his sleigh in park while he surfs to the beach and chows down on tropical pineapple-macadamia cookies.

Santa lovers all over get a chance to sample holiday treats wherever the Saint is welcomed, in M. E. Furman's festive new A World of Cookies for Santa: Follow Santa's Tasty Trip Around the World (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017).

It's a wonderful world-wide custom to share with Santa and others at Christmastide, one which gives kids a chance to give back to the Christmas saint of children. Furman's book offers a smorgasbord of Santa's snacks, offering a buffet of the various customs and Christmas cuisine of 32 places--from Sri Lanka to Ukraine, along the way. The author provides a sampler of some recipes from all around the world, from familiar Mexican wedding cakes to the exotic Basque almond tile cookies, all easy enough for kids, in the best tradition of Christmas, to share in the making. Artist Susan Gal's illustrations fill the pages with Christmas cheer, jolly children giving their homemade goodies up for Santa's refreshment. This book is a first purchase for libraries and for the home-baking bookshelf.

* The Year Without a Santa Claus, by Phyllis McGinley.

The Santa Trap: How to Catch Santa by Jean Reagan

IT'S FINALLY CHRISTMAS EVE, AND THAT'S WHEN YOU TRY TO CATCH SANTA.

Mind you, this brother-and-sister conspiracy are not aiming to hold Santa hostage. That would be the end of Christmas as we know it. They know that Santa has a lot of stops to make, but there are some questions that generations of kids have been waiting to ask their special saint.

Like this biggy:

WHAT ABOUT HOUSES WITH NO CHIMNEYS?

But like the famous recipe for rabbit stew, before you ask those questions, you've first got to snag a Santa. Forget the silly schemes. You don't lasso Santa with last year's cowboy lariat! You don't dig a dead fall trap in the snow! No!

INSTEAD, BE CRAFTY! BE GENTLE!

Perhaps you won't actually catch Santa--or even catch a glimpse of jolly Old Saint Nick! Still, if you are clever, you can rig it so that you have clues that Santa was really and truly there!

WRITE SANTA A NOTE AND FILL IT WITH GLITTER!

But if you want more than a glittery trail for evidence of Santa's visit, you're going to want to see him in the flesh. And that means you've got to figure out how to stay awake all night. Pull out all your old games and keep playing by the light of the Christmas tree's glow. But stay quiet and listen for the telltale sounds of sleigh bells so you can zip to your hiding place for your Santa observations. And if you still fall asleep and miss the whole show, well....

"There's always next year," in Jean Reagan's How to Catch Santa (Alfred A. Knopf, 2016). Reuniting with artist Lee Wildish, Reagan takes on concocting the really serious how-to that all children have wished for, how to stay up and see Santa on the job. Even in the granddaddy of all "seeing Santa" stories, Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas, Classic Edition by Clement C. Moore, (1995-01-02) it's the ever-protective and vigilant dad who really discovers St. Nicholas on the job. But that won't stop kids from conspiring to spot Santa, and who better to provide advice than Reagan and Wildish, whose earlier how-to-books, How to Raise a Mom, How to Surprise a Dad, How to Babysit a Grandpa, and How to Babysit a Grandma, have been top sellers. And for slightly younger would-be Santa spotters, there's always that evergreen Christmas classic, Rosemary Well's Max's Christmas (Max and Ruby).