The Day Santa Stopped Believing in Harold

By Maureen Fergus, Cale Atkinson (Illustrator)

Santa doubts Harold's existence and devises a plan to uncover the truth.

6.3/7 Bookroo experts·4.0/5 Goodreads · 658 ratings

32 pages· 1,190 words· Est. 10 min read-aloud

$16.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Santa faces a festive dilemma: is Harold, the child who embodies Christmas magic, real or just a myth? Doubts arise as friends question Harold's existence, and last year's encounter seemed off. Determined to solve the mystery, Santa hatches a plan to discover the truth, leading to unexpected and humorous results. Will Santa's quest confirm Harold's reality, or is Christmas about to change forever?

From the publisher

Santa has a problem. This kid? Harold? Santa doesn’t think he’s real. He WANTS to believe in Harold–after all, Harold is one of the most magical parts of Christmas. Getting Harold’s letters, eating the cookies he leaves out, feeding his carrots to the reindeer… what would Christmas be without that? But Santa’s just not sure. Some of his friends are telling him they think Harold’s not real. And the Harold that sat on his knee last Christmas looked AWFULLY different. Santa comes up with a plan to find out once and for all if Harold really exists… with hilarious consequences.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Words: 1,190
Reading age: 4–8
Audience: Picture
Lexile: ~631L

Themes & topics

Books about consequences Books about Santa Claus Books about Christmas Books about Christmas and advent

What readers & critics say

Reviews

6.3

out of 7

6.3

“This book has amazing illustrations, they are so cute! Also, the story was hilarious and so good. I loved how funny it was and how much it made me laugh. The idea of Santa questioning the existence of a child was pretty clever.”

B is for Bookworm

Trusted reviewer

6.3

“This book is spunky, clever and delightful, and the perfect book for that tender age where the doubt begins to creep in. The illustrations are amazing (LOVE Cale Atkinson) and a perfect compliment to this story about the tandem doubts of Harold who doesn't believe in Santa... and Santa who doesn't believe in Harold.”

Marmee

Trusted reviewer

For readers who can't stop at one