The Elves' First Christmas
PreSchool-Grade 1–After their forest home is destroyed by woodcutters, a group of elves looks for a new place to live. The wee folk wander far until they are forced to seek shelter on a small farm belonging to Santa Claus and his wife. After Santa helps them build a small village on his property, the elves in turn help the exhausted man make toys for Christmas–and the rest is history. The story is not very original or suspenseful but it does answer the intriguing question of where Santa's elves came from, and the illustrations, depicting elves looking like slightly small-scale humans with red caps and neat beards, are warm and appealing.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public LibraryEND