Price Tag: $15.99
Official URL: tenspeed.com (Published by Tricycle Press)
Rating:

What Does Mrs. Claus Do?” is written by Kate Wharton, with Illustrations by Christian Slade.

OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS BOOK. It is seriously the cutest, funniest, most amazing book about Christmas I’ve seen in YEARS. OK, perhaps I gush a bit. But I have always felt that Mrs. Claus is neglected, left only to the role of darning Santa’s socks and fattening him up for the big toy hand out; not exactly a good feminist role model, you know? Apparently the author agreed, and wrote this book one Christmas eve while she watched Mrs. Claus repel down the Space Needle in Seattle (an image I LOVE). The result is a charming Christmas tale that I think would be a perfect fit for a new animated Christmas special (are you listening, television people?).

The book is all about what Mrs. Claus does while Santa is away delivering all the toys. It’s written in rhyme, making it great fun to read aloud. It starts with the idea that maybe Mrs. Claus just sits down and reads a book and knits while Santa’s away. But soon it become much more fanciful, including things like the Jingle Bell Ball (Mrs. Claus in an evening gown is a sight to see), Mrs. Claus holding a corporate meeting of Claus Enterprises in a business suit, or maybe just following Santa around cleaning up his messes all night (not exactly feminist, I know, except that she’s portrayed as a total ninja while she does it, and Santa a bumbling fool).

The illustrations by Christian Slade are simply gorgeous, done in what looks like oil pastels (but is probably computer generated), highly detailed and just absolutely perfect. I love that Mrs. Claus is an ample woman with a grandmotherly visage but still portrayed as beautiful and competent. I especially love the images of her flying about in a jet pack and playing football.

The book is highly entertaining. It’s too long for me to read to my two-and-a-half year old daughter now, but she loves looking at the pictures and talking about them. I give her a synopsis of the story line as we go through it, and I fully expect this to become a holiday staple in our house as she gets older.

I feel like the book presents the idea that a woman can be anything she wants, regardless of how important or famous her husband is. I love the lyrical writing, the funny images, and the way it turns the Mrs. Claus myth right on its head. The book is well constructed with water-resistant pages. There is a paper cover as well as the actual cover being illustrated. The inner pages are lined with single-color illustrations of the different personas of Mrs. Claus.

I cannot emphasize enough how smart, funny, and beautiful this book is. It’s a great gift for kids that still love picture books and celebrate Christmas. It’s so completely charming that you cannot go wrong with it. Again, I gush—I know—but really. It’s just a wonderful, wonderful book.