The Secrets of Santa's Trackers

When Christmas approaches, it’s easy to remember to be on one’s best behavior, but as the cover of “The Secrets of Santa’s Trackers” delightfully implies—with an elf spying through her binoculars a young girl in a summer dress hiding a slingshot behind her back—the motivation to stay on Santa’s good list can wane once the big day passes and the next deadline is hundreds of days away. Not, however, for kids who know about the secret of Santa’s trackers, magical helpers who keep an eye on kids throughout the year to help Santa stay up to date. Through original rhymes and excellent cadence, Greene shares the secret of who these trackers are—a diverse crew, both in physical appearance and personality—and playfully encourages imaginative young readers to watch out for their trackers, creating a tale that taps into the magic of Santa and makes it present all year round. While unfortunately stooping to flatulence for a laugh, she otherwise tastefully focuses more on the imaginative, fun nature of the trackers than on preaching good behavior and does so with a humorous, modern touch: on one page, a tracker texts Santa: “Hey Santa, You may want to sit down for this . . . ” Gorsky’s Santa is a true delight as he sits behind a laptop displaying a spreadsheet on screen, sipping hot chocolate and wearing fluffy, warm slippers. The quality of the illustrations varies notably, but the opening scene with a young child sledding down a snow-covered hill while smoke rises from a home’s chimney warms with simple, nostalgic joy.