DEAR SANTASAURUS

Ernest B. Spinosaurus is a young dinosaur boy who is trying to stay on Santa’s Nice List. Santasaurus, that is.

The text of this comical story consists of 17 letters written by Ernest to Santasaurus, beginning with a thank-you letter for Santa’s recent Christmas gift and ending with Ernest’s thank-you letter the following year. Ernest tells Santasaurus about his daily life, offering humorous descriptions of his interactions with family and his best friend, holidays, and escapades at school and summer camp. Ernest tries hard to behave so that he can be on the Nice List, but like a lot of little boys, he finds all sorts of creative ways to entertain himself that lead to trouble. In each letter, Ernest talks about what he wants for Christmas, focusing on the Jurassic Turbo Scooter X9. Every month, Ernest changes his desired scooter color and the kinds of special features, but by December, he has settled on a lava red model with lots of specific add-ons, including a siren. Ernest’s escapades are amusing, but the repetitious requests for different scooter models wear a little thin by December 24. Santasaurus fulfills Ernest’s request along with a pink tricycle for his little sister, Amber, and a purple scooter for best friend Ty. Frenetic, cartoon-style illustrations in jazzy shades add to the humor.

Funny but not hilarious—a book that proves the truism, less is more.