School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Santa has a hard and fast rule: if your naughty deeds total more than your nice ones, you get NO PRESENTS. His son, Peter, spending his second year on the naughty list, doesn't think this is fair. So, he hijacks the sleigh and reindeer and takes all of the naughty kids to the North Pole to plea their cases before Santa. The youngsters admit to unkind acts, say they are sorry, and offer to do something thoughtful for the injured parties. One by one, the names are eliminated from the list. Happy for the others, Peter wishes he could do something nice and Santa tells him that he has by helping the children and their families. This simple, humorous story goes straight to big childhood concerns-who keeps track of naughty and nice, how the present issue is decided, and if you are an OK kid even if you are naughty sometimes. Durand's witty primitive paintings are full of fun and detail with oddly shaped people and reindeer enjoying a satisfying Christmas in which there are only nice kids.-A. C. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Santa's son, Peter, devises a plan to spring himself and all the other misbehavers from the dreaded naughty list in this humorous picture book from the creators of Beetle Boy. The text skates close to moralistic in places ("Saying you're sorry is what matters most"), but the delightfully skewed sensibility of the illustrations saves the day. Equal parts cartoon and folk art, Durand infuses the artwork with a puckish wit. Ages 6-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved