When Jesse's Mom learns of a house for rent in the country, the family of two leave the city behind and take up residence in a small seaside community. Jesse has a hard time adjusting--new school, no hockey league and a troublesome classmate that is making matters worse. Jesse's mother works hard in her workshop carving wooden Santas. The Santas however, are not selling as well as she had hoped. In the twenty four days leading up to Christmas, Jesse and his mother come to learn what "believing" is all about.

Each day is a chapter and each chapter is uniquely and beautifully illustrated with photographs of Nova Scotia woodcarving artist, Imelda George's gorgeous wooden Santas. As the title suggests, these Santas play a major role in the outcome of the story. No, the Santas don't come to life a la Hollywood style and there are no trips to the North Pole. Make no mistake about it though, there is magic in this book! I would highly recommend it as a family read aloud, perfect for those children on the cusp of believing and wanting to know, "Is Santa really real?"

Winner of the Mr. Christie Award and the Ann Conner-Brimer Award, The House of Wooden Santas is one of the best contemporary Christmas stories available today. First published in 1997, I've had the pleasure to read and share this book with each of my three children.