Elvolution

by Jason Kinnear, Mary Raudenbush (Illustrator), Sarah B. Engdahl (Editor)

Ever wonder where the Santa got his elves? There are many myths and ideas about how the man in red got his help, but Jason Kinnear offers us a truly definitive version of the ancient origin of the helping elves. His book is highly imaginative and at times both a realistic, gritty portrayal of a group of people who struggled to make ends meet and also a children's story that centers on cementing a magical realism into place for anyone with an imagination. Expect this title before Christmas, as it would make a perfect gift for anyone who loves the Christmas season.

226 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2011

Reviews

[Dena Scroggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elvolution puts a common sense explanation behind Santa's Elves is also a story about immigration and how a group of people called the Elbanians from Elbania were making toys for a wicked man to survive and then decided to flee to America to try something new and ends up meeting Santa Claus. Elvolution is a smartly written story that can be seen as an allegory in that it is the origin story of Santa's elves but also a story about what immigrants face when they come to a new place in the world. Elvolution is available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and Sakura Publishing's website. Recently, this book has been adapted to be a play by the Chicago theater company and is supposed to open this December. Great read for the holiday season.

[Jill Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is the son of a good friend of mine so she loaned me the book. It is a story of the imagination....of Little People who live in a village, Elbania which is near Greece. They are craftsmen of furniture which they sell through a marketer. He becomes rich so they decide to travel to America to improve their lives. Santa hires them to make toys. They face hardship and discrimination, but through determination they improve their lives.