
By Terri Hoover Dunham, Laura Knorr (Illustrator)
Foggy bayou threatens Christmas delivery. Can Papa Noël and his alligators find a way?
In the misty Louisiana bayou, Papa Noël faces a Christmas Eve dilemma. His alligator-led boat struggles through dense fog, risking the delivery of gifts to eager children. With Nicollette's glowing eyes dimmed by the haze, the Cajun community must devise a clever plan to save the holiday. Will their quick thinking and resourcefulness ensure a merry Christmas for all? Dive into this inventive tale of folklore and festive spirit.
Around the world Santa Claus has many names. But in a deep, swampy bayou of Louisiana, he’s known as Papa Noël. In such a hot and humid place, there can be no sleds or reindeer, so Papa Noël rides the river in a boat that’s pulled by eight alligators, with a snowy white one named Nicollette in the lead. On this particular Christmas Eve, it’s so foggy on the river that even Nicollette’s magical glowing-green eyes may not be enough to guide Papa Noël. The alligators are tired, grumpy and bruised from banging into cypress trees, and Papa is desperate to get all the gifts to the little children. Well, “quicker than a snake shimmies down the river,” the clever Cajun people come up with a solution that saves the day. A colorfully inventive Christmas tale, Papa Noël is a lesson in fast thinking, as well as a witty introduction to a part of America that’s rich in folklore and legend.
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