Dear Santa: The Letters of James B. Dobbins [Library Binding]

Bill Harley (Author), R. W. Alley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Dear Santa,
Here is what I want for
Christmas ...

From an aquarium (with a piranha), to earplugs for blocking out his little sister, to a full-size hockey rink, Jimmy wants a lot for Christmas. What Jimmy needs is a little Christmas spirit.

A hilarious series of letters to Santa follows Jimmy's experience one very special holiday season, from his first outrageous requests to a final Christmas Eve surprise.

Grammy-nominated singer and storyteller Bill Harley teams up with veteran illustrator R. W. Alley to create an endearing character, a wickedly funny book, and a wholly original celebration of the season!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Children's singer-songwriter Harley expands his picture-book oeuvre, which includes Sitting Down to Eat (1996) and Bear's All-Night Party (2001), with a humorous variation on a time-honored seasonal theme. Harley doesn't introduce a real story line but mines crowd-pleasing comedy from a boy's invented letters to Santa, which are full of references to familiar Christmas situations (wishes for wildly improbable presents; defensive explanations for behavioral slipups). Young readers caught up in their own holiday expectations will enjoy reading between the lines of the letters and find ample humor in Alley's cartoonlike watercolor vignettes exposing the truth behind many of the boy's avowals, particularly with regard to his treatment of his little sister. Despite a conclusion that will leave readers wanting more, this droll set piece neatly captures kids' giddy anticipation leading up to Christmas morning. Top it off with a Christmas letter-writing activity. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“A tasty holiday treat, equal parts hilarious and sweet.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“The droll humor is reflected in Alley’s cheery illustrations.” (Kirkus Reviews )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066237793
• ISBN-13: 978-0066237794
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,824,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A two-time Grammy award-winning artist, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the RI Council for the Humanities, Bill uses song and story to paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life. His work spans the generation gap, reminds us of our common humanity and challenges us to be our very best selves. A prolific author and recording artist, Bill is also a regular commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered" and featured on PBS. He joined the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence in 2001 and tours nationwide as an author, performing artist and keynote speaker.


Bill began singing and storytelling in 1975 while still in college. His work has influenced a generation of children, parents, performing artists and educators. Bill's songs are joyous, direct and honest, his stories are filled with the details of daily life - all told and sung from his slightly off-center point of view.

"Humor is my weapon," says Harley of his award-winning recordings. A two-time Grammy winner, Bill's recordings have also garnered numerous other national awards including Parents' Choice, NAPPA (National Association of Parenting Publication Awards), ALA (American Library Association) and the highest honor from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for his concert DVD, "Yes to Running!" filmed in conjunction with Montana PBS.


Bill's trademark wit and wisdom can also be found in his picture books and novels for children. His first novel, The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher was chosen by Bank Street School of Education as one of the best children's books of the year and his second novel, Night of the Spadefoot Toads was awarded the Green Earth Book Award as best environmental book of the year in the children's fiction category. His picture books, based on his songs, stories and poems also stand out as 'pick of the list' from ABA and a Storytelling Award Winner. An advocate for children and educators, Bill is currently at work on a book about the culture of schools.

Touring nationally in theaters, schools, libraries, festivals and conferences, as a workshop leader, keynote and inspirational speaker, Bill's work affirms our commonality and reminds us to laugh out loud. In the car, the classroom, at home or on stage, "no one beats Harley for intelligent, polished children's entertainment - he's simply the best." Mothering Magazine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars very happy, January 8, 2010

By 

C. Pauletti "CLP" (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Santa: The Letters of James B. Dobbins (Hardcover)

I am a teacher and chose to buy a used product for my classroom from an authorized seller off of Amazon.com. The seller listed the book in good condition, which I thought was fine for the classroom. I ordered the book on a Thursday night and it was delivered to my home in 48 hrs. My postman left it on my wet doorstep, so I assumed I would find a damaged book. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the seller had sealed the book in plastic, so it was undamaged. To top it off, the condition of the book was more new than "good!" An excellent purchase, and the kids loved the book!

5.0 out of 5 stars We lost fthe first copy so we HAD to buy it again- It's that good., October 28, 2009

By 

A. Smith (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Santa: The Letters of James B. Dobbins (Hardcover)

the kids just love the letters. As I said before, we lost our 1st copy somewhere in the house. We searched and searched and searched. The boys have already stated that they wished that we had found the book, "Christmas just isn't the same without it." Our first book was a hardcover. It was even better, the letters are actually individual peices of paper that came out of evelopes on the page to be read. Hardcover or paperback this book is Great to sit by the fire and read as a family.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You, and Your Child, Will Love This Book, December 7, 2005

By 

Portianay "portianay" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dear Santa: The Letters of James B. Dobbins (Library Binding)

If you would like your child to be entertained while he/she learns a valuable lesson of What It Is All About, this is the book for you. To the naysayers who will hold up their hands in horror that this is a book about Santa, all I can say is that somehow, without your ever having read it, you've missed it. It is not a book about Santa; it is a book about the true, original, one-and-only Theme of Christmas.