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, 13:18, 9 September 2008
{{infobox
|title=Santa's Littlest Helper Travels the World
|author=Anu Stohner
|reviewer=Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A pretty standard Christmas story, with nice artwork and a story with some humour in it, a safe choice when looking for a Christmas book for a 4-5 year old.
|rating=3.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Maybe
|format=Paperback
|pages=32
|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
|date=October 2008
|isbn=978-0747593591
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747593582</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1599901870</amazonus>
}}
'' Santa's Littlest Helper Travels the World'' is another collaboration between author Anu Stohner and illustrator Henrike Wilson, and the second book that features the Littlest helper. The whole concept of helpers was not very clear to me (Santa himself doesn't appear at all - there is only a Chief Helper), but apart from that, the story is very much a typical one. Some kind of emergency or disaster strikes and the delivery of presents (and, presumably, the whole Christmas) is in grave danger.
This time, it's the Christmas pox that strikes all the other Helpers, and thus it's down to the Littlest one to organise the delivery. He enrols the help of all the animals that he normally brings the presents to, and away they fly.
The artwork is appealing, with rich colours, bold shapes and some humour - particularly when the bigger Helpers featured. I particularly liked the pages which showed animals visiting different cities in the world, with their famous landmarks, unnamed but clearly identifiable to any adult (Paris, New York, London and Venice feature): there was a magical feel to those pictures.
''Santa's Littlest Helper Travels the World'' is a picture book, but there is a quite a bit of text too, enough for a bigger child to read themselves or for a good few minutes reading aloud by an adult. The translation reads well, if without any particular beauties. All in all, '' Santa's Littlest Helper Travels the World'' is a solid if somehow unexceptionable tale, a safe choice of a Christmas story for any 4-5 year old, with attractive artwork as its best feature.
Thanks to the publishers for sending this volume to the Bookbag.
For another book where Christmas looks to be in danger we can recommend [[Russell's Christmas Magic]] by Rob Scotton.
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