How the North Pole Works

Gr 2-4–In this faux nonfiction North Pole travel guide, Santa enthusiasts will find answers to all of their questions, and more. The table of contents lists more than 20 areas of Santa’s world that readers will visit; some of them are structures, like his workshop or study, and some of them are features, like Snowman Mountain and Gingerbread Canyon. Each set of pages stands alone with vibrant illustrations that include diagrams and graphs detailing some aspect of North Pole life. Readers learn about the impact of technology on Santa’s world, his relationship with his cousin Krampas the engineer, and elves who can be astronomers. The worldbuilding is deep and Christmas-sy. Stewart and Beckett pair nonfictionlike text features with bright, busy illustrations in a way that will appeal to a very specific audience that loves nonfiction and Christmas. The advanced vocabulary takes this out of the running for Santa’s littlest fans. More experienced readers will have the stamina needed to capture the fun of the “informative” side of this story.