Santa’s Prayer

On Christmas Eve, two Midwestern siblings set out on a snowy walk, discussing holiday matters and “dear old Santa,” when they spot him walking into the town’s church. They quietly follow and watch, wide-eyed, as he kneels in prayer at the Nativity scene. Santa begins in gratitude before voicing a “concern for the children” and praying that, rather than contributing to “fleeting fancies/ Rarely lasting beyond the day,” he might remind children of “your life and your love/ And the example you have shown.” After Santa exits, the children, too, approach the altar with thanks. Told in consistent rhyme, Roberts’s didactic message comes off strong, making it difficult to connect with the characters and the tale, while Moss’s sparse line-and-wash illustrations leave stark white space on each spread. A bland, albeit straightforward telling of one Christian ethos around Christmas. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)