Love, Santa
by Martha Brockenbrough
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Love, Santa is built from a sequence of letters between a curious little girl and Santa, culminating in a final exchange with her mother. The epistolary setup gives the book a vignette feel that works well for read-alouds and slow, nightly readings; its strength is a warm, low-key emotional arc about wonder and growing up. Limitation: the tone leans sentimental and predictable, and older kids or adults looking for narrative complexity may find it slight and unsurprising.
Read this if...
- •Parent of a 4–7-year-old building a holiday bedtime routine: short letters fit single-evening reads and start gentle conversations about Santa.
- •Kindergarten or first-grade teacher planning a seasonal storytime: the episodic structure supports read-aloud repetition and simple class discussion about imagination versus facts.
- •Caregiver preparing to answer a child's Santa questions: the mother-daughter exchange offers a calm, non-confrontational model for handling the truth without heavy moralizing.
Skip this if...
- •You'll likely put it down when you want plot-driven momentum or surprises — the letter-by-letter, cozy pace can feel repetitive and thin.
- •Annoying if you prefer secular, non-holiday stories or a wry, ironic tone — this is unabashedly warm and nostalgic.
- •Not for readers seeking practical tools or interactive material — no exercises, activity prompts, or parent guide; it's a short narrative meant for reading rather than doing.
In a series of letters, a young girl writes to Santa to ask about the North Pole, Mrs. Claus, and of course, Christmas goodies. Year after year, Santa writes back, and a heartwarming relationship develops, until one year, the girl writes to her mother instead: Mom, are you Santa Her mother responds to say that no, she is not Santa. Because Santa i...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- Parent of a 4–7-year-old building a holiday bedtime routine: short letters fit single-evening reads and start gentle conversations about Santa.
- Kindergarten or first-grade teacher planning a seasonal storytime: the episodic structure supports read-aloud repetition and simple class discussion about imagination versus facts.
- Caregiver preparing to answer a child's Santa questions: the mother-daughter exchange offers a calm, non-confrontational model for handling the truth without heavy moralizing.
- You'll likely put it down when you want plot-driven momentum or surprises — the letter-by-letter, cozy pace can feel repetitive and thin.
- Annoying if you prefer secular, non-holiday stories or a wry, ironic tone — this is unabashedly warm and nostalgic.
- Not for readers seeking practical tools or interactive material — no exercises, activity prompts, or parent guide; it's a short narrative meant for reading rather than doing.
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Why recommended
Recommended by 2 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Judy Blume
“That wonderful book is called Love, Santa by Martha Brockenbrough. It?s a gentle and loving way to explain Santa if your kids still believe and you want the truth to come from you, not some kid at school or down the street (or even Fudge).”
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Recommended by 10 sources.
“Quiet, spare text and soft, slow illustrations make this a finger-friendly, read-aloud bedtime choice; sentences are short and rhythmical, built around saying goodnight to objects. Its language is almost poem-like, designed for quiet repetition. Its chief value is predictability — the repetition becomes a soothing ritual that helps settle an energetic child. The main limitation is minimalism: adults looking for plot, variety, or interactive features will find the pages sparse, and some readers may think the repeated structure drags or feels dated.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.