“Bradley Bartleby was bad. He’d been born bad. Before baby Bradley even left the hospital…he’d bitten the midwife on the bottom, stolen the doctor’s stethoscope, and emptied his diaper into his grandmother’s handbag.”Thus starts this hilarious book. Bradley Bartleby is bad. And he is frustrated when over and over again he just gets one present from Santa Claus. (Never mind the fact that his parents get him everything he wishes for since they are terrified of him.) No, this will just not work. If Santa doesn’t give Bradley more than a pair of socks each year (he should be glad it isn’t coal) then he is going to trap Santa and make him pay! So Bradley spends a year making the ultimate Santa Trap. He is sure that the dynamite, tigers, guillotines, and trip-wire will trap Santa. And then Bradley will make him pay for the years and years of socks!This is a funny look at a kid who goes to the extreme to make being bad a hobby and trying to outsmart the master of the naughty and nice list. Of course Bradley doesn’t understand the magic of Santa being able to do what he does. Plus Bradly is just a wee bit forgetful himself. All in all, this is one holiday book that will help kids laugh themselves into being good…and won’t worry them about trying to be good even though it is so hard. Absolutely loved this book as did every one of my kids, even the adult ones. Here is my review from my blog:To the beastly Bradley Bartleby, no behavior is too bad. After all, he was born bad. The older he gets, the badder he becomes. His selfish demands are always met by his rich parents for the sole reason they are terrified of their spoiled son.Every year Bradley has the audacity to make demands of Santa with such a huge list, his father has to hire a team of secretaries to type it up. And every year the kindhearted Santa leaves the spoiled brat the same thing, a pair of socks.Bradley becomes so enraged, he spends the next year building a trap for Santa Claus. By Christmas Eve, his parents have to move to a hotel to escape the danger. Luckily for Santa, Bradley's evil plan backfires and he finds himself looking through the wrong side of metal bars. Never one to leave a child with nothing, Santa gives Bradley the usual socks with a few surprises.The digital mixed-medai illustrations complement Emmett's witty humor. Bernadette's impeccable skill using dark colors and shadows enhance the sinister actions of a ghastly little boy. Not a nice and fuzzy Christmas book, but destined to become a holiday favorite for those who can't resist a little naughty.I HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, The Santa Trap as a well-crafted picture book to be enjoyed by parents as much as children.I received the book from the publisher for review purposes. No financial compensation was received.
What do You think about The Santa Trap (2009)?
"I'm going to catch the fat fool and take every present he's got." - Bradley Bartleby
—jingle
Adorable and fun! Who knew as an adult I could still love children's books!
—Bhavika
