Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (Hardcover)

by Francis Pharcellus Church (Author), Thomas Nast (Illustrator), Christine Allison (Introduction) "VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong..." (more)
Key Phrases: Santa Claus

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
PreS. A failed attempt to put a fresh spin on an oft-told and hackneyed tale. The well-known letter by the little girl supposedly written to the editor of the New York Sun in 1897 and the editor's equally well-known reply is replayed here with no changes to the text. The exchange is presented in a small-book format and the young letter-writer is a cat. Although the wide-eyed feline and the rest of her family are shown engaging in a host of holiday activities, the illustrations do little to extend the story or even make it understandable for young audiences. This is a total mismatch of art and text, and the result is particularly jarring. Yes, Virginia, it takes more than cute furry kittens and holiday baubles to make a successful picture book.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
A beautifully illustrated gift edition based on the legendary letter and essay that appeared in 1897 in The New York Sun. That letter and its editorial response have become a Christmastime legend. Little did F.P. Church know back in 1897 that his response would come to stand for the affirmation of all the joy and magic of the holiday season. 2-color throughout.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (October 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038530854X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385308540
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #744,571 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book for a child at the age of non belief, December 27, 1997

By	[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

I have read this book as a child and as an adult read it to my children. This is truly a piece to read at Christmas time every year.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus, November 26, 2008

By	Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

ISBN 038530854x - A Christmas favorite, the story of THAT question, how it was asked and, more importantly, how it was answered, this is a story that should be told and retold as often as possible. There are various versions, some better than others.

Christine Allison writes a foreword to what is probably the most famous letter to the editor of The New York Sun and its answer. A young girl named Virginia, encouraged by her father - because "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." - writes to ask if there really is a Santa Claus. The anonymous (at the time) response assures her that, indeed, there is a Santa Claus with absolutely certainty. The book ends with information about the main characters involved: Virginia O'Hanlon, the young letter writer; Francis Church, the reluctant editor who responded; Thomas Nast, the illustrator of the book and the man who single-handedly gave us our popular image of Santa.

Allison's foreword is fairly pointless, in my opinion. Illustrations by Thomas Nast are very nice - if you've seen the originals. This book is so small and the drawings have been substantially shrunk, making it impossible to really make out the fantastic detail in them. The author of Virginia's response, Francis Pharcellus Church, could not possibly have known that 111 years later, we would still be reading his eloquent letter - or that childrens' movies (Yes Virginia There Is a Santa Claus, YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS (ANIMATED)) would be inspired by it. That alone should tell you a lot about the power of Church's answer.

More than Santa, Church assures the reader that love, good, magic and all manner of unseen wonders, including god, exist and will continue to exist. The mention of god will particularly delight some; Virginia's father's faith in his newspaper of choice will amuse and sadden the cynical reader of 2008. The language Church uses might indicate that eight year olds in 1897 were way more grammatically advanced than the 2008 edition of eight year olds, which is part of why this book will appeal to adults. It's a nice thing to have on hand, to snatch that one last year of believing from the jaws of doubt.

- AnnaLovesBooks

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Editor's Letter Still Wins Hearts, December 17, 2006

By	George Buttner "Agent0042" (Dayton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cyndy Szekeres' Yes, Virginia There Is a Santa Claus (Hardcover)

In the 1800s, a girl named Virginia wrote a letter to the "New York Sun" asking a very important question --- is there really a Santa Claus? This book is the story of that letter and the text of the complete letter and response.

Cyndy Szekeres lends her amazing talent for illustrations to the story of this letter. Virginia is a cute little kitten in a world of anthropomorphized kittens. Each page contains a portion of the letter or response, along with illustrations that tell a story all their own --- the story of Virginia's Christmas. Thus, this book works on two levels.