Starred Review ALA Booklist (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 1998)

Starred Review for reading aloud. This very funny picture book will best be appreciated by kids who know their Santa Claus lore--and no longer think he's real. The story begins with Santa as a young man, in jacket and tie, applying for jobs. He starts out by sweeping chimneys, but he stays too clean, so he moves into postal work. Problem: he likes to make deliveries in the middle of the night. Fired, Santa moves on to work in an all-night diner, where he piles on the pounds. Then he moves to the zoo, where he becomes friendly with the reindeer, after which Santa and the reindeer all join the circus and fly through the air. Elves rescue him from that job. Santa and the reindeer are taken to the North Pole, and--well, you know the rest. This is a wonderful wedding of text and art. The story is smart and funny, and Schindler knows exactly how to make his artwork play off the humor. It's particularly fun to watch the Santa aging process as he goes from an eager young job applicant to the jolly old Santa we know. Setting the boxed text against a background of want ads is also an inspired touch. Fun to look at, fun to read, fun to share with kids. (Reviewed September 1, 1998)

School Library Journal Starred Review

PreS-Gr 2--A contemporary, funny, and truly original look at how Santa Claus acquired all the skills that have made him the great success he is today. As a young man, Santa wants no part of desks or offices. His first job is cleaning chimneys, and he is so good at getting up and down them that he never gets dirty. His second position is with the post office, delivering packages--but people dislike his zeal when he continues delivering into the night. Later, he cooks at an all-night diner (he gains a lot of weight), works at the zoo (he loves the reindeer best), and does a stint with the circus, where he meets elves who live "out of town and need someone to deliver toys." And, of course, the rest is history. Children will love the clever way in which the story builds, showing how Santa's diverse background prepared him perfectly for his Christmas Eve duties. Schindler's amusing, detailed ink drawings include full-page and half-page spreads, and are sometimes set in a white box against a background of want-ad newsprint, also featured on the endpapers. Krensky's spare text makes brilliant use of every word. A jolly choice for reading aloud during the holidays or as a spoof during career-study time.--LF

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1999)

A young, redheaded Santa grows older (and rounder) as he tries and fails at a series of jobs--chimney sweep, mail deliverer, circus act, short-order cook--before finding the perfect career as gift-giver. Schindler's colored ink illustrations, framed on many pages by reprinted want ads, add an element of sly wit to the text's understated humor.