Vous est-il déjà arrivé de vous demander comment le Père Noël arrive jusqu'au pied de votre sapin pour y déposer vos cadeaux ? Est-ce qu'il se rétrécit pour passer par la cheminée ? Y va-t-il la tête la première ou les pieds en avant ? Mais s'il n'y a pas de cheminée ? Se glisse-t-il sous la porte ? Et s'il y a des chiens ? Comment peut-il bien se débrouiller ?!
Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.
10 ⭐️’s … I know I know we’re a five star platform. Sometimes, limits are for those who color inside the lines.
If Santa can fit through all sort of chimney’s and uses mail slots reindeer drop him into; me, can make up stars that do not count, but should.
‘Whose line is it anyway’ inspired. Giving points out that don’t matter but recognize someone shared a hilarious impromptu humorous joke improvisational to a studio audience.
This book has comedic and classic attributes making it a new favorite for the holidays.
On the treadmill for a walk and listen via YouTube. Doing two things at once for Mac Barenett’s How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney. Illustrated by the famous Jon Klassen.
If you missed my previous few children’s book reviews. My new thing is doing two things at once, walking and watching a YouTuber read a children’s book. Then, review.
Bought the hardback when it dropped for sale. Then, sought a reader.
This helps me as an up and coming author. Bookstagramer. Reviewer. Among other reasons, like being healthy while pursuing publishing dreams to fruition.
Plus, provides you with an instant copy for the family to enjoy. See links further down👇🏼
VERY curious how the big guy slips through not just chimney’s but other entrance methods to all sorts of housing options.
The illustrations remind me of another artists work, John Burningham’s Hey Get Off Our Train. One of our family favorites.
This said, the art is dark. Not creepy dark. Color dingy. And, the translation from the art work to page copy fades the contrast of colors. The style of collage meaning the characters are cut out along with other props laid over various backgrounds.
Geeking details read the publishers description to understand the art. The illustrations are a combination of graphite, ink, and finished with digital.
Upon looking up what this means in specifics found this …
“Artists use graphite, not just in pencil form, but in powder form too. In powder form, graphite can be applied to paper using a brush, sponge or tortillion.
It has been used as a drawing tool since the 16th century. It came into common use due to its ability to create a darker mark than lead.”
This would be the reason for a familiar vibe as I grew up with graphite style art.
In a world accustomed to bright vibrant pop digital art for children’s books Mr. Klassen’s style might seem off.
For me, understanding the technique invites nostalgia. A simpler time prior to Black Friday sales of the 80’s or recent cyber Mondays. When sledding, then cocoa and CBS featuring Charlie Brown with commercials and turning the channel required a knob and getting up to change the channel. Everyone watched together.
Another benefit to knowing the remembrance Mr. Klassen appears to capture makes my rating relatable. Rather than judgmental, for me.
Scanning multiple readers on YouTube found one perfect, for me. This research helps me know what style of reading video audiences prefer. Mine may not be yours.
Below are clips from the book read by different channels for free. See which you like and share with your littles.
This book is a lot of fun. Could be used to inspire children to create their own stories about topics that haven’t been written yet. Using their creativity.
Or, an art project. Children will come up with many more ways Santa delivers packages.
A collaboration of art and additional story notes could be collected and compiled into a class book. Make copies. Share with families for a gift.
Create and demonstrate how children can become authors and illustrators someday, is today.
For fun, watch NORAD, meaning North American Aerospace Defense Command … track Santa. They have a page that says return December 1st 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🛷🎅
Here’s a YouTube channel that posted the journey with the sleigh and reindeer for out of season reference. Including number of package delivery counter. And, it’ll drop pins on where Santa stops plus the exact location and the next destination.
Geography could be a lot of fun. For young children this can be a lesson of continents and countries.
A book recently reviewed, Joey Benin’s Pebbles and the Biggest Number would be a great collaborative book. Helping children relate to the billions of packages dropped off.
Plus, discuss time zones. How Christmas is many hours prior to American. How in our country there are multiple time zones.
The list goes on and on.
This one’s a generational keeper.
Happy New Year everyone. Even if it’s not happy yet, may your heart be filled with peace toward better days.
Richie’s Picks: HOW DOES SANTA GO DOWN THE CHIMNEY? by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, ill., Candlewick, September 2023, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-5362-2376-7
“CM: Yeah! And then, when they flied across da sky, they used ta come down to places like, oh, Chicago, L. A., Nueva York and Pacoima and all those places, y'know, and then land on top of people's roofs, and then 'ol Santa Claus would make himself real small, y'know, like, a real small guy, and he'd come down da chimney and then he would give you all da stuff that hemmade, man. And... Dig this, man... He did it all in one night, man! TC: Hey, just a minute, man. Now, how'd he do that, man? CM: Oh, well, man, he took da freeway. How else, man? TC: No, man. No, man, how'd he do all that other stuff, man? Like, how'd he make himself small, man. And, how'd he, like, how'd he get the reindeer off the ground, man? CM: Oh, well, man, he had some magic dust, man TC: Some magic dust? CM: Yeah, magic dust, y'know? He used ta give a little bit to da reindeer, a little bit to Santa Claus, a little bit more for Santa Claus, a little bit more... TC: And this would get the reindeer off, man? CM: Aw, got 'em off, man?!? Are you kidding, man? They flew all da way around da world, man!” – from “Santa Claus and His Old Lady” Cheech and Chong (1971)
My generation had Cheech and Chong to clue us in to the mysteries of Santa Claus and his Christmas Eve exploits. Today’s youngins have the one-two punch of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. This dynamic duo has fashioned a you’ll-be-rolling-on-the-floor response to the question of how good old Saint Nick gets his jolly Santa girth down untold numbers of chimneys all in one night.
“Does he go headfirst? Or feetfirst? Or neither? Does Santa ever get stuck partway down and need one of the reindeer to give him a kick? Does his suit get real sooty? Because chimneys have soot. And then does Santa do laundry before he goes to the next house? And if you don’t have a chimney, what happens then? Maybe Santa knows about the key under the flowerpot, even though nobody is ever, ever, supposed to mention the key under the flowerpot. So how would he find out about that? Does he flatten himself and slide under your door? Or does he flip through the pipes and come out of your faucet?”
Every one of the wild possibilities Mac Barnett poses is accompanied by mind-blowing visuals by his oft-bookmaking-compadre, Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen. For example, two reindeer up on their hind legs, holding hooves with another reindeer who is at the top of the chimney, stomping down on something below, just out of sight. Or sweet, old Santa sitting in the basement, in his heart boxers, with his old-fashioned anchor tattoo, reading the paper as his Santa suit spins in the dryer. Or the crème de la crème–a stream of Santa pouring out of the kitchen sink faucet while a string of colored lights frames the window behind him.
HOW DOES SANTA GO DOWN THE CHIMNEY? is super-sweet. It’s super-funny. It’ll make for a killer read-aloud (perhaps prefaced by a dramatic reading of Clement Moore’s classic poem). It’s thoroughly engaging, and one that will get kids brainstorming and drawing their own zany possibilities.
Dacă e o întrebare ce este pusă în continuu în această perioadă, aceasta este "Cum coboară Moș Crăciun pe horn?" 🎅 Mac Barnett și Jon Klassen ne dau nu doar unul, ci o multitudine de răspunsuri, din care fiecare familie poate să își aleagă varianta ce li se potrivește lor mai bine 😉
Povestea ce a apărut de curând la Editura Vlad și Cartea cu Genius în traducere de Vlad Zografi este una veselă, cu un umor de situație ce nu are cum să nu adune câteva râsete și zâmbete de-a lungul lecturii 🤭 Fie că se bagă pe horn, pe sub ușă sau prin robinet, Moș Crăciun îi vizitează pe toți copiii și sunt sigură că ar zâmbi dacă ar vedea că încerci să îi afli secretul citind această carte 🎅 Ce să mai, este o lectură perfectă pentru această perioadă, cu mult haz și ilustrații captivante 🎄
I am not a Santa fan, nor do I particularly enjoy picture-books aimed specifically for children aged five or under. I was only here for the interesting cover and snowy setting. But this was really sweet. Made me laugh with its gentle childish humor.
I listened to a lovely old lady narrate this book, and I could vividly imagine how children would react—gathered closely around her, enthralled by the tale, and soaking up every moment. How precious.
I wish I had experienced story-time when I was younger. Must be such a joy.
Maybe Santa shrinks himself to be really small in order to fit down the chimney. But does he ever get stuck? Does his suit get all dirty from the soot? Maybe he can flatten himself to slide under the front door. And what about the dogs in houses? Maybe Santa carries dog treats, so that they won't bark. Does he use night-vision goggles to see around in the dark? However he manages it, we are glad that Santa comes on Christmas!
This book is hilarious! I was giggling through the entire thing. The illustrations are so cute and funny! I just adore everything about this book. I can't wait to read it with my nieces, because I know they will laugh their little heads off!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
My girls and I love this funny, sweet Christmas picture book with perfectly classic Jon Klassen illustrations! This was another new addition to our Christmas book collection, and it addresses the question my four-year-old has been asking all season long: how does Santa go down the chimney?! So fun!
Cute as fuck. This is a perfect stocking stuffer for the 7 and under set. I do love me some Barnett and Klassen too. They are a perfect pairing, each time.
The award-winning duo Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen have teamed up once again to tackle the mystery of how Santa gets into our homes each Christmas. Does he cinch his belt at the waist or stretch himself like taffy? What if we don’t have a chimney? Does his suit get so dirty that he has to do laundry before the next house? Why don’t our dogs bark at him?
#HowDoesSantaGoDowntheChimney is full of hilarious theories about the jolly man in red that will foster a sense of wonder and joy in children. Both of my kids (8 + 4) couldn’t stop giggling and asking questions. We’ve already read it several times and it’s sure to become a classic. If you’re looking for a last minute gift for the little ones in your life, this book would be a great addition to their library.
En bilderbok som ställer den väldigt viktiga frågan, Hur kommer tomten in i huset? Vi får ta del av flera olika teorier, den ena galnare än den andra. Krymper han skorstenen?Gör han som Eelastaflickan från The Incredibles och tänjer ut sin kropp likt spagetti eller kola? Gör han sig lika tunn som ett papper och glider in under dörren? Eller gör han om sig själv till rinnande form och kommer in genom kranen? Ja ni hör ju, det finns många teorier!
En rolig bok att läsa kring jul då man kan uppmuntra sitt barn att tänka ut egna idéer om hur tomten kommer in i huset.
This book was adorable and really creative ideas. Good book to read to inquisitive children wondering how Santa gets into the house without anyone knowing.
I don't know who has the more insanely creative mind—Mac Barnett or John Klassen! The two have teamed up to consider just how does Santa make his way down the chimney. If you've read any of their prior collaborations, you know silliness and laughter will ensue!
This book is possibly more appealing to adults than kids, although asking kids for their ideas, before reading the book, would probably appeal to both. Santa is a topic about which I particularly enjoying hearing children theorize. But for me, .
*** 14 May 2025
I wasn't going to add anything specific, but I discovered that my 6-month-old first draft was so abbreviated and/or rushed, such as to leave it nearly incomprehensible to me. I hope it's a bit better now anyway.
An amusing ponder on many of the theories of how Santa gets down chimneys.
But it leaves out the most important one put forward by the band Dead Hot in one of my favorite Christmas songs, the ominous Santa Claus Is Coming In Gas Form.
A typical question an inquiring child might pose when they begin to question the myth of Santa Clause. A jolly fat man down a small chimney. Truly it can't be done, so the question arises.
In this droll book the artist and author pose questions about Santa, chimneys, seeing in the darkness, eating cookies, etc. And of course, there is simply no answer.
A silly and fun book but simply doesn't hold a candle to the classic T'was the Night Before Christmas.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.