What Santa Can't Do

by Douglas Wood

There are lots of things that regular people can do, but Santa can't. Santa can't ride in cars or fly in airplanes. How would that make the reindeer feel? Santa can't walk past a plateful of cookies, either. We love Santa for all the things he can't do. And we can't wait for Christmas Eve!!

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

24 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Composer, recording artist, wilderness guide, and self-taught naturalist-Douglas Wood is perhaps most widely known as the highly acclaimed author of OLD TURTLE, a 1993 ABBY Award winner and an International Reading Association Book of the Year. Author of several books for readers of all ages, Douglas says he is always seeking themes that are universally significant to both children and adults. His first book for Candlewick Press, GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH-winner of the Christopher Medal for "affirming the highest value of the human spirit"-quietly explores the theme of grief and healing while celebrating a human connection to the natural world and the enduring spirit of love. Douglas Wood kept in mind someone very special to his own life when writing GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH. "I feel I've been getting ready to write this book all my life, for it is about my wise and gentle hero, my Grandad. It's a prayer and a thank you, a walk in the woods, and a remembering smile; and it is for anyone who has ever had a woods to walk, a prayer to whisper, a hero to love."


Douglas Wood lives with his family in a log cabin on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.

Reviews

[Slicey · Rating 2 out of 5]

He can’t eat a ghost pepper. Rip Santa

[Set · Rating 2 out of 5]

Santa is a dino in this book...weird. I don't know how I feel about making Christian figures into Dinosaurs.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect book. asks a question i never thought of, what can't santa do?he can't go into houses the normal way because he doesn't know how to use doorknobs. he can't pass up milk and cookies. he can't drive or take a plane trip (the reindeer get jealous).
the art is as wonderful as the writing. for some reason santa is depicted as a giant lizardy-dinosaur creature w/a beard. Perfect. and the illo of santa's reindeer looking seriously p.o.ed is worth the cost of the book!

[Kenson and kirra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to see that my mom got me the books to finish out the series. they are pretty funny. i would recomend them to someone. my little sister loves santa. she says he can't wait to hold her in his lap.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about all the skills Santa doesn't have leading up to the big ones he does have. Preschool and up

[Nancy Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book to think about what Santa can and can't do. Not sure why the author chose a lizard/dinosaur to be Santa but it still works. This would be a big hit at Story Time.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute, creative Christmas story. About all the things Santa can't do... like shave his beard cause no one would recognize him, or ride in an airplane 'cause the reindeer would be upset etc. "Santa" in the illustrations is a dinosaur. So any child that oves dinosaurs would love this version of Santa. My 3 year old granddaughter and I enjoyed this story and it's not even Christmas!

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ask a preschool student what Santa can do and you will get a long list: brings presents, flies with reindeer, etc. This colorful picture book answers the opposite question. Santa is a green dinosaur so right off the bat young readers know that the answers will be pretty silly. A fun read aloud for holiday story time.

[Jennybug · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some fun text about what Santa can't do. I am not sure that I love Santa looking like a spooky lizard man. Although, I have read this to several different groups of kids and they all seem to enjoy it.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't expect to like this book. Dinosaurs and all reptiles aren't exactly my favorite subject.

I was wrong.

The illustrations are playful and the story is fun. An interesting perspective on Santa. The under 6 set will enjoy it.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of Wood's other books.

[Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute story, but it bugged us that Santa was a dinosaur.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute book in the Douglas Wood series about all the humorous things that Santa CAN'T do.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute picture book about Santa. A little too simplistic for my students (sixth grade) but the little ones will love it.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Different illustrations would make this a better book. Why is Santa a dinosaur?

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of the story is sweet, but WHY is Santa a dinosaur?

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Scholastic edition that comes with a CD, but it is not listed in Goodreads. It will be a cute book to read to my students in December.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun twist on telling about Santa. I also like that all the characters are dinosaurs or reptiles.