Santa’s God: A Children’s Fable About the Biggest Question Ever

By Neale Donald Walsch. Illustrations: by Em Claire.

(OR: EnNin Books, October 2009. 32 pp. $19.95, ISBN 978-1-57174-596-5)

Children’s Picture Book/Christmas

If you could ask Santa one questions what would it be?

In “Santa’s God” little Melinda is just certain that this is her night to meet Santa and she has her question ready.

Well – like any child she has many questions at the tip of her tongue, but when she finally asks all of the questions you might imagine a child would want to know (How do you get to every house in one night? How do you get down the chimney and what do you do when there is no chimney?) she asks the big one.

Little Melinda wants to know, “Who is the real God?”

Santa is so surprised he drops his cookie!

In addition to asking surprising questions, our young heroine also has a startling knowledge of Santa in many cultures.

She knows the names of Santa around the world. Many will be familiar to you, like the Dutch Sinterklaas or the English Father Christmas but you may learn some new names for Santa like Kurohsu in Japan or Joulupkki in Finland! Em Claire’s illustrations of these Santas are also charming.

People looking only for the biblical Christmas story may be disappointed, but if you are looking for a Santa story that teaches about God’s love and the sacred worth of all people, this may be the Christmas book you’ve been looking for.

Geri Williams is a local book fancier.