Are You Grumpy Santa?

by Gregg Spiridellis, Evan Spiridellis (Illustrator)

Sometimes, even the merriest, most cheerful guy on the planet wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. Particularly on that fateful Christmas Eve. . . First off, Santa steps out of bed and stubs his toe on a bowling ball. Then the elves shrink his Santa suit, Mrs. Claus puts him on a diet, and his reindeer nearly crash into the North Pole. When Santa finally reaches the first house on his list, his "bowl full of jelly" gets him stuck in the chimney! Things turn from bad to worse when he's chased by a Parisian poodle and slips on a rigatoni noodle. Santa is ready to throw in the towel, when at his very last house he is reminded of what Christmas is really about-the gift of love. This merrily irreverent picture book, brought to life by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, will tickle funny bones and touch hearts far and wide.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Storytime

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Alannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as part of a Christmas present for my 'reading buddy'. At the last minute before I wrapped it I decided to read it and i'm glad I did!

Santa may always appear jolly but he has feelings too! And when his elves/slaves shrink his clothes, when his wife refuses to give him steak for breakfast and when he is chased by a tiny dog with crazy hair his frown turns upside down.

Moral of the story? Santa might lose his cool at any time and you better have a plate of cookies to cheer him up!

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been trying to track this book down for years and it was worth the wait!
Everybody has grumpy days -- even Santa -- but when someone does something nice/thoughtful for you, it can brighten your day.
Very funny but not over my kids heads at all!
I love that this book encourages leaving cookies for Santa...its something that we do every year!
My only complaint is that Mrs.Claus looks a little trailer trashy with her blue eye-shadow, rouged-up cheeks and saggy cleavage....

[Tanya (mom's small victories) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Christmas kids book by far. The vibrant pictures and hilarious story bring laughs to all who read it. We received it as a gift and it's one of my favorite gifts to give as well. I guess I will have to buy 3 more copies to save for my kids when they fly the nest, cause they can't have mine! :)

[Jo Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit I enjoy a more twisted version of Christmas--The Grinch over Charlie Brown and gift cards over electronics, so when I spotted a children's book titled Are You Grumpy, Santa? I had to grab it. And it's laugh out loud funny. Santa begins his big once a year work day by stubbing his toe, taking a shower with no hot water and finding out that Mrs. Claus has decided he needs to go on a diet. He gets chased by a poodle in Paris and nearly gored by bulls in Pamplona. Of course as soon as you think the poor bastard is doomed, something wonderful happens to remind him that the spirit of Christmas is indeed alive and well. This is an older book and may be out of print or hard to find, but it's worth it if you, like me, like your holiday with a touch of black mixed into all that red and green.

[Betsy Ellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a perennial favorite in my house at Christmas time. We all have bad days, even Santa, and sometime all it takes to turn it around is a little kindness. This book is always a nice change-of-pace for the sweet stories we usually read at holiday time. It features a Santa who is both loveable, funny and yes, a little grumpy today. Christmas was made for reading stories aloud by the fireplace and the rhymes in this book are so well done and humorous you won't lose your audience whether you are reading to one child or a group.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter and I both thought it was a very cute and funny story. We will enjoy reading this one every year. There is one picture of Mrs. Claus and my daughter's words, "She looks creepy." She is not a traditional looking Mrs. Claus and doesn't really fit the story. We still enjoyed the story, even with a creepy Mrs. Claus.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone gets grumpy sometimes, even Santa! I'm not a fan of Mrs. Claus putting him on a diet because "You're so handsome when you're thin." And, the illustrations get a little garish, but it's decent. If I used it in one of my storytimes I would paperclip the diet page so I could skip it.

[Darcie Saunier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super cute picture book showing that everyone, even Santa, can be grumpy sometimes. I've used it for story time and the kids loved it!

[Brian Kenison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for kids. I think I'll be reading this every day to the 5-year-old between now and Christmas.

[Kevin McGinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute story

[Joey Gremillion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet story. A bit too verbose for little ones, though (unless Dear Reader is good at voices)

[Jessica Burstrem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also just what I needed today. Even Santa gets grumpy sometimes, but all we need is a little kindness to feel better.

[Jordyn Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book and had great illustrations.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Meh. No strong feelings towards this book. I didn't love it and I didn't quite hate it.

[Avery Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and funny I like the wording

[Nancy Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even Santa can be grumpy. Something fun to think about but be sure to have on hand what helped Grumpy feel better. The bright, black outlined, colorful illustrations add to the fun.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun. Santa's grumpy & the illustrations that go along with the story are great for a laugh. My favorite is Santa being chased by a tiny, growling poodle in Paris. One of my Christmas favorites to read aloud.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made a great pre-break read-aloud for kindergarten. It was fun to do the voices and expressions as Santa became more and more grumpy. The kids really got and enjoyed the humor, and they also understood with minimal prodding that what really made Santa happy was that someone did something nice for him, rather than just that he got to eat cookies. It was also a great tie-in to our social-emotional learning push, since we used it to talk about different emotions. They loved the activity we did in which we made faces at each other and drew expressions for "grumpy," "happy," "surprised," etc. on blank face templates.

[Hope L. Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book four stars because I think the art work could be better in places, the thin lines are classic cartoon, but there are points where the computer illustrations are just hideous. The cover art is better. I also almost gave up in the middle; there were two pages where the meter really stumbled and I got disappointed! I really am strict on meter and how it works for your plot. However, ai turned the page and Santa slipped on a rigatoni noodle and I busted out laughing. Seriously funny.

[Tj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though my kids are older, we still love this book and set aside time to read it during the holiday season each year.

This time of year everyone is short on patience and time. Even Santa can have a rough day at the office. This little book reminds us all to slow down and and enjoy the the things that are truly important. Humor is a necessity in everyone's life and kindness is one gift that fits all.

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of humor in this story of Santa having a bad day, especially bits like Santa backing into a Christmas cactus or spraining his tush on a chimney, that I think will have the preschool crowd rolling in the aisles. Not pleased with the aesthetic of the illustrations, however (Mrs. Claus is absolutely terrifying).

[Becky H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even Santa can have a bad day. But there is one solution that will help his grumpiness go away. And we will make sure we do it at our house.
My 3 year old loved this book! (we have read it over and over).

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book. At the recommendation of a friend, I bought this book. It portrays Santa on a bad day, but resolves itself when a kind deed puts his life back in perspective. Now one of our favorite Christmas books.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happends when Santa has a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, day. Eh. My 4-year-old liked it.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even Santa has some bad days.

[Avonell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me smile! I'm thankful mommy read it to me.

[Crazy Uncle Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I really like about this book besides the fun story is the good message. I really like how it teaches how much of a difference a simple act of kindness can make in somebody's life.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another funny holiday one for read-alouds. Santa is having a really rough holiday season until someone leaves him some cookies and helps restore his holiday spirit.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a twist on the traditional Santa tale, read about Santa's day all gone wrong. Don't worry--it has a happy ending!

[LaSchelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Santa has a bad day too. See how is bad day gets better when he realizes that kids appreciate what he does.