When Santa Fell to Earth
Funke, Cornelia. (2009). When Santa fell to Earth. New York, NY: Scholastic.
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“The hose of Niklas’s snow machine snaked behind them and grew longer with every step- another elf miracle!”
-page 115 from When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke
A Little about the Book:
Ben is curious about the strange caravan which one day appears on his street. When Ben approaches the trailer, he learns it is occupied by Niklas, a real Santa, his angels and elves. The only thing missing is Santa’s marzipan loving reindeer, which ran from fear. When Ben approaches the caravan, he learns about Gerold Geronimus Goblynch, a mean Santa who has turned Christmas into a holiday about money. Ben along with one of his peers, Charlotte, finds the missing reindeer, and help to bring snow back. After interacting with the children and seeing the joy he brings them Niklas decides to quit running from Gerold Geronimus Goblynch and his evil Nutcrackers and fight to turn Christmas back to its original way. With Ben and Charlotte’s help, Niklas is able to take down Gerold Geronimus Goblynch and save Christmas.
The Illustrations:
The black and white illustrations are spread throughout the book on various pages. Most of the illustrations offer a break in the text. The illustrations vary in size with some being a small picture on the corner of a page to some being two pages.
Themes:
· Christmas
· Love
· Faith
· Believing in Santa
· Friendship
· Santa, Elves, Angels, and Reindeer
· Helping a friend
Age Level:
Children who are older the nine years old would be able to read When Santa Fell to Earth by themselves. Although the story is also appropriate for children under the age of nine. My son absolutely loved the story and illustrations present in When Santa Fell to earth and he is only four.
I would recommend the book for Grade 3 to Grade 5.
Personal Response:
I did like When Santa Fell to Earth. It was an easy to follow story, which was predictable. I believe if I had not read as many Christmas stories I do not think I would of easily predict what is going to happen.
I would suggest this story for children. It is a great Christmas story, which has action and Christmas spirit.
Teacher Ideas:
When Santa Fell to Earth is a great story to use in the classroom. Once students have read the story, have them discuss the true meaning of Christmas and how the book represents the meaning of Christmas. Than have students discuss the commercialism involved in Christmas. Have them discuss ways Christmas is commercialized in their community, and on television. Than have students talk about how Christmas is commercialized in the book. Once students have discussed the commercialism and the true meaning of Christmas, have them create a letter to the newspaper discussing what Christmas should be about, and how to diminish the commercialism involved in Christmas. Students can also create posters to display in the school hallway about the true meaning of Christmas.
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