It's Christmas time again and Sykes's noisy, jovial Santa (Shhh!

) returns, embarking upon a whole new

succession of misadventures. This time, Santa's troubles begin when his alarm clock does not go off,
causing him to oversleep. The race is on to see if he can manage to save Christmas by delivering all his
presents by morning. Accompanied by animal friends, and spurred on by their cries of ""Hurry, Santa,""
the affable but slightly harried old gnome stumbles through several mishaps as he endeavors to get
dressed, round up his reindeer, and deliver the presents. Children will sympathize with Santa, whose
efforts to hurry are frequently misunderstood by the well-meaning animals. When Santa gets scolded by
the owl for playing (all he's done is interrupt the reindeer's snowball fight), the beleaguered Santa wails,
""But I wasn't playing!"" Santa's fumbles as he hurries through the night are cheerfully brought to life
through Warnes's expressive, lively illustrations; whimsical figures, rich colors, and lighthearted
illustrations complement the frenetic tale. The humorous antics of the intrepid Santa make for a
wonderfully silly holiday story.

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2?In this comic nightmare of a story, Santa oversleeps and
encounters problem after problem on his annual nocturnal ride. He tries to round up his reindeer (who
are having a snowball fight), gets started on his deliveries, and then crashes the sleigh into a snowdrift.
A farm horse helps them get free and they finish just before dawn. Home at the North Pole, Santa is
dismayed to find a present at the bottom of his sack. Did he forget a child? No. It is a new alarm clock
from his animal friends. A skillful reading will amuse younger children with the silly antics of the old gent
rushing about, but this story never takes flight. Santa worries, the animals nag, and the cumulative
effect is more stressful than truly funny. Warnes's bright cartoons are stronger than the story and
generate most of the humorous effect.?AC Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text
refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist Ages 3^-5. The alarm doesn't
go off, and Santa wakes up late for his very important date. The rest of the day is nothing but rush, rush,
rush: first it's jumping into his clothes and rounding up the reindeer (not all of whom can be found),
then it's getting stuck in a snowdrift and trying to play catch-up the whole trip. Santa does manage to
finish his appointed rounds, and thinks he has delivered all the presents until he finds one left in the bag.
Happily, it's for him, and it's just what he needs--an alarm clock! Little kids who themselves are often
being rushed from place to place will appreciate Santa's hectic evening. The just-bordering-on-cartoon
artwork is delightful. Warnes mixes the right amount of frenetic energy and laughs into watercolor-and-
pen art that attracts attention with its brights colors and cute characterizations. Great for holiday story
hours. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.