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    Santa's First Christmas

    Author Mac Barnett On Tour
    Illustrated by Sydney Smith
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    Hardcover
    $18.99 US
    Penguin Young Readers | Viking Books for Young Readers
    11.38"W x 9.06"H x 0.4"D  
    On sale Oct 22, 2024 | 40 Pages | 9780593524978
    Preschool - 2
    Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell M
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    Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith team up for an unforgettable celebration of Christmas.

    We all know that Santa makes everyone’s dreams come true every Christmas, but it turns out that he needs a little help getting into the holiday spirit himself. Instead of letting Santa get right back to work after he returns home to the North Pole on Christmas morning, his loyal elves want to make sure he experiences the same Christmas cheer he provides for others. With the perfect tree, lots of delicious treats, and, of course, presents, Santa experiences the magic of Christmas for the very first time.

    Beloved children’s book creators Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith have unveiled Santa unlike ever seen before, and as a result, created a merry new Christmas classic.
    MAC BARNETT, the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages and has sold more than five million copies worldwide. Mac's books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Awards, three E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Germany’s Jugendliteraturpreis, China's Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award, The Netherlands' Zilveren Griffel, and Italy's Premio Orbil. He is the co-creator, with Jon Klassen, of the Looking at Picture Books Substack, as well as Shape Island, a stop-motion animated series on Apple TV+, based on their bestselling Shapes series of picture books. Mac lives in Oakland, California. View titles by Mac Barnett
    Sydney Smith View titles by Sydney Smith
    ★ "Cozier than a roaring fire and sweeter than milk and cookies, this earns its 'Christmas classic' stripes with flying colors." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

    ★     "Offering moments of abundance, laughter, and surprise, the creative duo’s assembly of classic yuletide elements gives readers a chance to encounter an old holiday anew—freshly through the eyes of its most iconic figure." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

    ★     "A feel-good holiday story that will warm hearts for Christmases to come. Holiday collections will welcome this gift." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

    ★ "Barnett’s wry text is full of affection for his characters, and Smith’s rich watercolor and gouache illustrations infuse both the outdoor North Pole and interior scenes with good cheer." —STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book

    "It is hard to say which is more wonderful, Mr. Barnett’s droll and low-key narration or Mr. Smith’s soft, warm, humorous pictures. Warm and funny and delightful, Santa’s First Christmas is likely to become an annual read-aloud in families with young children." —Wall Street Journal
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    About

    Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith team up for an unforgettable celebration of Christmas.

    We all know that Santa makes everyone’s dreams come true every Christmas, but it turns out that he needs a little help getting into the holiday spirit himself. Instead of letting Santa get right back to work after he returns home to the North Pole on Christmas morning, his loyal elves want to make sure he experiences the same Christmas cheer he provides for others. With the perfect tree, lots of delicious treats, and, of course, presents, Santa experiences the magic of Christmas for the very first time.

    Beloved children’s book creators Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith have unveiled Santa unlike ever seen before, and as a result, created a merry new Christmas classic.

    Author

    MAC BARNETT, the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages and has sold more than five million copies worldwide. Mac's books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Awards, three E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Germany’s Jugendliteraturpreis, China's Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award, The Netherlands' Zilveren Griffel, and Italy's Premio Orbil. He is the co-creator, with Jon Klassen, of the Looking at Picture Books Substack, as well as Shape Island, a stop-motion animated series on Apple TV+, based on their bestselling Shapes series of picture books. Mac lives in Oakland, California. View titles by Mac Barnett
    Sydney Smith View titles by Sydney Smith

    Praise

    ★ "Cozier than a roaring fire and sweeter than milk and cookies, this earns its 'Christmas classic' stripes with flying colors." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

    ★     "Offering moments of abundance, laughter, and surprise, the creative duo’s assembly of classic yuletide elements gives readers a chance to encounter an old holiday anew—freshly through the eyes of its most iconic figure." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

    ★     "A feel-good holiday story that will warm hearts for Christmases to come. Holiday collections will welcome this gift." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

    ★ "Barnett’s wry text is full of affection for his characters, and Smith’s rich watercolor and gouache illustrations infuse both the outdoor North Pole and interior scenes with good cheer." —STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book

    "It is hard to say which is more wonderful, Mr. Barnett’s droll and low-key narration or Mr. Smith’s soft, warm, humorous pictures. Warm and funny and delightful, Santa’s First Christmas is likely to become an annual read-aloud in families with young children." —Wall Street Journal

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