Santa's Stowaway

I met the author on a plane ride from Dallas to Columbus. He showed me this book. The illustrations are great as well as the story. I bought the book soon afterward. My wife also loved the book. We look forward to sharing it with our grandchildren. Good work Brandon! We look forward to subsequent books. We highly recommend this book.

When I first saw this book I thought the artwork would most impress me. It seemed like authentic Victorian-era art gracing the pages of this sweet-hearted children's holiday story. At first I thought maybe the storyline was a bit too familiar ,though I don't suppose there's much left to wring out of Kris Kringle stories that hasn't been conceived already. It's more about the way the story is told. It's a wonderful story, with just the right level of complexity for a child and with minor details linking the artwork with the storyline that make a big difference in the end. Notice the little girl who stayed up late on Christmas Eve and met Santa, and see that she is missing a button, just like the doll that the elf thought was somehow imperfect. That is a hidden lesson in the story I hope every little boy and girl learns - something can seem defective, broken or incomplete, but still be perfect. That detail alone makes this a sweet, sincere, and endearing little story and it's sure to send any little boy or girl to a happy dreamland when it's read to them at bedtime this holiday season. Reviewed by John Cloutman