Reviews for How Santa lost his job
School Library Journal
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K-Gr 4-In this companion to Krensky's How Santa Got His Job (S & S, 1998), St. Nick faces a common work dilemma-the automation of his job responsibilities. When the elves grumble about his inefficiency, nerdy Muckle invents the Deliverator, a robotic replacement for Santa. The old man protests, "There's more to my job than meets the eye," but allows the elves to judge for themselves-man versus the machine. Subsequent text and Schindler's wonderfully energetic and detailed illustrations depict the elusive qualities that make Santa the best choice. When the Deliverator malfunctions and crashes on Christmas Eve, the jolly man graciously and with the utmost professionalism resumes his duties. "After that, nobody talked of replacing Santa again. Each year there were new delays or mix-ups. But the elves didn't mind. They realized now that this was all perfectly normal." Even libraries that don't own How Santa Got His Job will want to purchase this title, both for holiday enjoyment and for classroom use.-L. F. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Assembly-line workers are being replaced by machines-but Santa? That's just what Muckle the elf has in mind. Annoyed at Santa's last-minute changes and the inefficiency of the whole setup, he decides there must be a better way. Behind the text boxes, readers can see the incredibly detailed blueprints for Muckle's wondrous new machine, the Deliverator. In lighting speed it matches children's letters with a gift. It can travel around the world in one night, and zip up and down chimneys to make deliveries. But Clara, the mail carrier, has her doubts that the Deliverator can do everything that Santa does. After all, who will eat the milk and cookies, and who really knows the children as well as Santa? Predictably, a glitch causes the Deliverator to fail-and during the most hectic year of all. But the uncomplaining elves have learned that Christmas is not about a schedule, rather about caring, something that can't be programmed into a computer. And Santa makes a couple of changes of his own: the elves now track orders from a bank of computers in the workroom. However, his other major change-marriage to Mrs. Claus at the finale-seems not to fit in with the flow of the story. Krensky (Shooting for the Moon, p. 802, etc.) has crafted a tale with an obvious lesson, but somehow this does not detract. Rather, it highlights the importance of personal attention and the "little things" in the celebration of Christmas. This is a wonderful complement to Krensky's first Santa book, How Santa Got His Job (1998), which documents the job experiences and skills that make him perfect for the position. Schindler's (The Cod's Tale, p. 1294, etc.) drawings are masterworks of detail, from the reindeer snitching cookies in Santa's kitchen, to the steam coming from Muckle's head as he has to reprogram the Deliverator. Keep on truckin', Santa. (Picture book. 4-7)
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Ages 4-7. If anyone has job security, it's Santa. Right? Wrong. Elf Muckle wants to bring Christmas-package delivery up-to-date and up-to-speed with the shiny, rocket-powered Deliverator, which never takes a bath or wear boots--and doesn't care for cookies and milk. It looks like Santa and his reindeer are headed for early retirement--till the metal mail carrier literally falls down on the job, proving that new doesn't always equate with better. A riot of red details adds spunk to the pictures, as do the borders, which are filled with schematic drawings of the unsuccessful rocket. The sweetly goofy artwork is a good fit for the uncomplicated plot. Try this for lap sharing; read it in tandem with Krensky and Schindler's How Santa Got His Job (1998).Stephanie Zvirin
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
In How Santa Lost His Job by Stephen Krensky, illus. by S.D. Schindler, downsizing hits the North Pole when the elves vote to sack Santa in the name of efficiency. Clever, humorous details abound in Schindler's pen-and-ink art (the elves upgrade to computer ordering; reindeer help Santa clean house). A fitting follow-up to How Santa Got His Job. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Santa?s elves are unhappy. Despite all their best efforts there is always a last-minute rush to get Santa out the door and on his way on Christmas Eve. Their solution is to automate, but can the imposing ""Deliverator"" outdo Santa? Obviously not, but the story's conclusion contains a surprise twist. The ink drawings are meticulously executed and full of droll details in this sequel to How Santa Got His Job. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
