Chanda A. Bell, The Elf on the Shelf’s Night Before Christmas, HarperCollins Publishers, September 2023, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780008658793
The primary school children I work with are obsessed with the Elf on the Shelf, fully convinced that it spends its evenings creating havoc and changing locations. If this is any yardstick, then this picture book that is a riff on The Night Before Christmas, is likely to be a hit.
Narrated by the Elf himself, the story follows the mischief that occurs between the little guy and the family’s pets. While the words describe the arrival of St Nick, the pictures show the havoc in the house caused by the Elf tussling with the dog and the cat. Of course, with a wave of Christmas magic order is restored and stockings are stuffed before the Elf finds himself spirited away on Santa’s sleigh.
The bright colourful paintings and gold embossed title on the cover, combined with the allure of the Elf, would make this a lovely Christmas gift for young readers.
Reviewed by Heather Gallagher
