August 28, 2023
In this lively holiday read, a Black family hoping to welcome Santa to their home get more than they bargained for after his sleigh breaks down. When Santa, portrayed with brown skin and sporting jeans and tattoos, agrees to a brief vacation while he awaits a new sleigh fuse, he quickly proves a difficult houseguest for the Mack family, holding loud jam sessions, eating everything in sight, and damaging Mr. Mack’s motorcycle. When he cracks the tablet he brought Mabel for Christmas, the child declares, “Santa’s gotta go!” Though Santa doesn’t get the hint until after the family departs for a hotel, the Macks return to a tidied house—and a concerning promise that Santa will be bragging to his friends about the stay. Via blow-by-blow text and expressive thin-lined art, Barnes and Lovett bring comedic havoc to this vision of a Santa who’s more chaotic than nice. Ages 4–8.