Review: SANTA BRUCE by Ryan T. Higgins

If you are a fan of picture books or have kids, hopefully you already know about the Bruce the Bear series from Ryan T. Higgins. It started with MOTHER GOOSE BRUCE, continued with HOTEL BRUCE and BRUCE'S BIG MOVE, got a spin-off with BE QUIET!, and recently added SANTA CLAUSE BRUCE to its repertoire.

Bruce is a very grumpy bear...with a soft, mushy heart, if you dig deep enough! He doesn't like being happy. He doesn't like cute creatures. In the first book, he finds himself the mother to goslings, and then he finds his house turned into a hotel, and now, he accidentally becomes Santa Clause! Each book builds on the last, and while you can read them individually and be fine (Especially since each book has a recap at the front), reading them in order builds the story and brings Bruce and his inadvertent friends more fully into a child's life as they "befriend" everyone and cheer to see the return of familiar faces.

Remember how Bruce doesn't like cute animals? Well, Bruce's new neighbors mistake him as Santa after seeing him go outside in his red sweater and cap to shovel! They all line up to tell him what they want for Christmas and don't listen to his proclamations that he isn't Santa Clause. So of course, since he secretly has a heart of gold, he wants to make sure none of those cute woodland creatures he claims to dislike are disappointed.

SANTA BRUCE blends the tales from the previous books into its folds, even the antics of the mice from BE QUIET! I love how these books build and grow, and the children do, too. Since coming out last year, this book has quickly become a story time staple, and is popular all over again this holiday season.

SANTA BRUCE is a great holiday read and stands on its own, but it really shines when being read after the other books in the series.

I really love the Bruce series and can't wait to see what Bruce gets up to next!

ABOUT SANTA BRUCE:

Bruce is a lot of things. He is a bear. He is a grump. He is a pretty decent cook. And he is a mother.

One thing Bruce is not?

Santa Claus.

But that doesn't stop the whole forest from lining up to give him their Christmas wishes when he becomes the victim of mistaken identity - again.

To post a comment, you must register and login.