Product Description

It's a dark and snowy Christmas Eve at the Mouse North Pole, and Santa Mouse isn't having an easy time-his socks are missing, his boots won't fit right, and worst of all, his ratdeer are in a grouchy mood.

When Santa's sleigh crashes into a snowbank in the middle of the woods and his ratdeer march off, all seems lost.  Can Christmas be saved?  One little mouse named Rosie thinks so, and with a few cookies, some hot chocolate, and a lot of Christmas cheer, she may have just what it takes to get Santa and his ratdeer back on course!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2463525 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-31
• Released on: 2000-10-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K?Santa Mouse and his ratdeer are having a rough night. Santa loses his map, the ratdeer are grumbling, and the sleigh hasn't been properly repaired. They crash into the woods, and things don't look good. Luckily, the rodent team finds its way to the home of a mouse family, where young Rosie greets them and feeds them warm cookies and hot cocoa (her parents are asleep). Santa Mouse joins them, and after warming up, is able to repair the vehicle and continue on. Like a gorgeously wrapped package that contains white socks, this disappoints. The snazzy red cover, gold-foil title, and Hurd's appealing and humorous illustrations far surpass the flat text. Although the story unites every child's desire to meet Santa with an interest in his logistical problems, it fails to create a compelling tale. When it comes to Santa-having-a-bad-night stories, Steven Kroll's Santa's Crash-Bang Christmas (Holiday, 1977) is still the best.?LF
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Santa Mouse is having a bad day. Too bad it's Christmas. His clothes are missing, the ratdeer are grumpy, and then the sleigh crashes in the North Woods. Happily, Rosie Mouse, who's been waiting for Santa anyway, is on the scene. Some hot chocolate, a toasty fire, and warm cookies make all the difference in Santa's day. Soon Santa is on his way, and Rosie has a miniature sleigh as a gift. The story is slight but funny, especially when the ratdeer are expressing their own frustrations in balloons ("Too many presents" and "Can I take off my antlers?"). Hurd's delightful cartoon-style pictures are executed with sureness and wit. Where the story seems thin, the illustrations make up for it with a robustness that should provoke giggles from individual lapsitters or groups. Ilene Cooper

From Kirkus Reviews
In a clever departure from typical holiday fare, Hurd (Zoom City, p. 197, etc.) puts a new twist on an old favorite. Santa Mouse is having a terrible Christmas Eve and his ratdeer, with names such as Blunder, Basher, Lousy, Bugsy, and Twizzlebum, have an attitude. Stomping around in a fashion not unlike an enraged toddler, Santa tries to find his underwear, socks, hat, and map. A crash landing in the woods is all the impetus the irritable ratdeer need to abandon Santa for the beach. Only the generous nature of a mouse, little Rosie, saves Christmas; her offer of hot chocolate and cookies thaws the cranky ratdeer's frozen hearts and revives everyone's holiday spirit. Hurd's full-color illustrations contain many humorous details, especially in the inserted comments of the disgruntled ratdeer. In the cozy drawings of Santa and friends enjoying Rosie's hospitality, Hurd does for Santa what Seuss did for the Grinchcreates a holiday tale with as much wit as it has heart. (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.