How to Catch an Elf

How to Catch

by Adam Wallace, Andy Elkerton (Illustrator)

You've been waiting all year long, and now it's finally Christmas Eve! Is this the year you'll finally catch an elf? Start a new Christmas tradition with this hilarious children's book from the creators of the New York Times best-seller How to Catch a Leprechaun!

"It's Christmas Eve! Hip hip, hooray!
Yes, Santa's coming 'round.
He's bringing toys to girls and boys
in every house in town."

"Some kids have tried to catch him,
but Santa's fast, you see!
So they've set their eyes on a smaller prize,
and now they're after me!"

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

Adam Wallace is a New York Times, USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author of the How to Catch series!
Adam's passion is to bring excitement and energy and humour and joy to children (of all ages!) through his books and videos.
He spends his non-writing time thinking about writing and going to as many live music shows as he can. He's also teaching himself piano, and plays golf too.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This came in late from the library, so I'm putting this review up after the holiday anyway. I can't get them all in on time.

I think these 'How to' books are cute enough. This is about catching an elf that hangs out with Santa. I guess it's the Elf on a shelf helper or something. All these modern gadgets are employed to catch this sneaky elf, but he has help from his pal, Ol' Saint Nick.

It's not very Christmasy to me, but it's fun to hear the nephew laugh. This is his kind of book. The line, "Hey, you zapped my tushy!" had him laughing. He loved that. He loved seeing a big cannon shooting hams and things at Santa and the elf, who dive for cover. The next page is Santa doing a Ski jump off a ramp of eggnog. HE laughed at that. So while that book does little for me, it tickles my nephew to no end. This is his kind of book and I love to hear him laugh. He has an excellent laugh that is catching. I enjoyed him while reading this book I thought was somewhat tedious.

The nephew gave this 4 stars and then proceeded to come up with ways he might want to catch this elf.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute:)

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is both cute and a bit crazy, which could be a good combination for children. As the small elf tries to escape every trap kids set, it’s hard not to laugh and shake your head.

I did enjoy most of the illustrations here. They were vibrant, sometimes a bit chaotic, and silly. Many children are sure to love the inviting and colorful pictures!

The plot was basic and there wasn’t any character or plot development. Of course, a book like this is meant to entertain more than learn from, but I always see a children’s book as an opportunity to teach something, and there wasn’t anything here.

It does seem a bit odd as to why an elf would be delivering presents with Santa. Also, I’m not sure if I like that Santa visits houses where kids are trying to trap him. It doesn’t seem like a nice way to treat Santa, however that may be part of the fun.

**SPOILER ALERT** No elf was caught, so the title is misleading.

Overall, this was definitely a book I can see children enjoying, but it isn’t one that can be used as a teachable tool. As I have read this book with some Kindergartners, I would say the primary grades (including preschool) would get a laugh out of reading this.

https://bookloverblogs.com/2018/12/30...

[IvyInThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yeah

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute lyrical picture book. Even my middle school students loved this one.

[Dorothy Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

How to Catch an Elf
A Book Report by Blaise Diana, age 5 1/2

How To Catch an Elf by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton is a book about how to be mean to an elf and Santa. Some kids zapped and hurt the elf. A boy that lives above a market threw food at Santa and the elf. Another child tried to explode Santa and the elf but Santa lowered the elf on a rope and he clipped the wire so it wouldn’t blow up. I hated the book and I don’t think people should read it because so many bad things happen, and kids are not that mean.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well the name of the book is How to Catch an Elf but there's no catching envoled. It's just about how the elf doesn't fall into the kids traps. That's it. The pictures were nice to look at but the book in general left me wanting. I was looking for a fun silly book to make the children laugh And my little one wasn't much interested in it. If your looking for a short Christmas book check it out but if your looking for something meaningful pass on it.

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rhyming seemed a bit forced.

[☆Amanda Cresse · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few pages of How to Catch an Elf are cute, but then it turns into something bigger...meaner. Even the face of the boy above the grocery store is full of spite. Catching Santa in the act of leaving presents is different than seeking to harm him and his elf. And, attempting to catch an elf certainly feels different than trying to catch a leprechaun (an earlier book by Wallace). An elf is Santa's helper; Santa is the one bringing you your wish list. There is no gain if you catch an elf. However, catching a leprechaun earns you a pot of gold. This story was a miss for me.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many children have set traps to try to catch the elf that helps Santa deliver gifts to boys and girls around the world. The traps are numerous and varied...and so are the elf's antics. The illustrations are such fun!

[AMY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids will like the colorful illustrations and all the traps someone has set for the elf throughout the story. It is a rhyming story with lots of action. It is fun and would make a nice read-aloud for the holiday season. Recommended for Grades K-2.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really can't understand why Santa would deliver to homes where naughty children are trying to trap him! It's very ungrateful of those kids!!

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you been trying to catch Santa? Why not set your sights on someone a bit smaller. Catching an elf is no easy feat, despite all your clever traps, but with a little holiday magic, creating creative catchers might be fun anyway.

While it's no How To Catch a Leprechaun, this book has plenty of silly scenarios and quirky rhymes, perfect for the holiday season.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

how to catch an elf

What I liked about the book was the pictures then I learned a lot about elf’s and how to catch one if one happens to come my way 😏🤭
I should add this to my stuff in my collection.
This book was reviewed by a 9 year old bored little girl who is using her mom’s kindle unlimited account😂😂🤦🏾‍♀️👏🏾❤️ because she told me I have to read a book before bed💀🤦🏾‍♀️

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little Christmas read for the young reader. I didn't feel the book "taught a lesson" like a number of books, but was more to add to the excitement of the season. I listened to the audiobook and felt the narration added to the "ambiance" of the fun story. Narration can't be commented on.

[Leatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story for the holiday season. Another book to add to you Holiday reading collection

[Ancillar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book cracked us up! Enjoyed this book

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Grief ... 6 minutes

[Jessica Di Salvio · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was perfect for christmas eve !

[Trish Banda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lack an actual storyline. Pictures are cute but not all that clever for the title.

[Becky Pendleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Christmas Eve book

[Ceejay Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Catch an Elf portrays mischievous tactics to catch an elf, almost like the fable of the Gingerbread man.

#Libby (RiversideLibraries)

#Ebook

[Maddi Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for the primary grades, kindergarten through first grade. I would categorize this book as contemporary realistic.

This book is adorable! Elf on a Shelf is huge right now, so this is a great spin off of the book. It’s a great book to read around Christmas! I understand some schools will not allow educators to read any books about Christmas, but I will still own this book for personal enjoyment. I have had a little elf since I was a little girl, which was actually my mom’s when she was little. I will always have a special place in my heart for an elf, and would love to read this to my children. The illustrations look animated, similar to how they would on a cartoon.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable little childrens book. I found out about this book since it was being promoted as an item teachers could order for their classroom, at my work. One of my favorite parts of the book that I thought was really cute is how the elf who is narrating, specifically states that he is not the same Elf as his elf Friend who sits on the shelf! I thought that was adorable that they referenced Elf on the Shelf since that is definelty something kids today would associate with any Elf type thing at Christmas.

I definetly want to add this book to the collection of Christmas books my family has had, and been adding to since I was a child.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars is being generous. The rhyming is awkward, the title is misleading, the story is mean-spirited and strange. The illustrations are fairly well done, and my five-year-old said it was pretty funny, so that’s where the two stars come in. Glad we only got it from the library (and it’s going right back).

[Tweller83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/24/18: I didn't really like this one so much. I liked catching the turkey, but this one just had too much food maybe, I don't know, just not as fun.

7/12/24: I read this one again to my grandchild and they liked it just fine so I'm changing my 2 star rating to 3.5 rounded down to 3 for GR. It was fun, I liked some of the illustrations for sure and the story was pretty good.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit clunky, and the title is misleading. No elves are caught, no instructions are provided. The rhymes are forced in places. And the story basically just hijacks Santa Claus and drags him along for the ride - he can barely even make his deliveries to the kids, because he's trying to escape the traps that have been laid for his elf. (Why are people trapping the elf, anyway?)

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! I saw it at work around the time my nephew's Elf, Sharky, started coming to visit him and thought it would be fun to read with him. Just a cute little holiday read with great illustrations and a fun story.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be perfectly clear, I hated this book. While the illustrations were cute and bright, the story had a sense of humor that I didn't appreciate. Anyone, who would set traps of the kind mentioned in the book for Santa, is a brat. This is not activity that should be celebrated.

[Allison Terfloth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book. I think the pictures would have helped the listener. The underlying music I found distracting. I would have like the elf sound more like an elf than Uncle Ned reading a bedtime story.