How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?
Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Walker Books

If you’ve ever pondered upon the mystery of how Santa manages to go down the chimney, then this might well be the book for you. Countless young children have been spun that yarn over the years and now, frequent collaborators Mac Barnett using an unidentified narrator and artist Jon Klassen, put forward a series of hypotheses concerning his chimney descent, as well as looking at the possible means of entry should the house not have a chimney at all.

Klassen starts with Santa atop a roof, making adjustments: he pulls his belt tight in at the waist while a reindeer holds his jacket. Turn over and we see a mouse-size shrunken figure contemplating entering the chimney’s large opening. However, he might change shape in a different way. becoming super-stretchy so as to enable him to step in one leg after the other.

But supposing he should get stuck? Then what? A hefty kick from one of the reindeer maybe.. And what about all the soot that’s likely to get on his suit? A quick bit of laundry before moving on to his next house, perhaps.

For houses that lack chimneys there’s that well guarded (not) secret regarding the key under the flower pot; alternatively he can transform his shape so he can slide beneath the door or pass through the pipes and out of the tap into the sink. Having gained access things get even sillier. Does he possess the ability to get along with every household dog he meets: that would require a stash of doggy treats secreted about himself, as well as becoming the recipient of a succession of slobbery canine kisses. And what about night vision goggles if the lights are off?

Nothing is certain except that, as we read, ‘Santa goes up the chimney the same way he comes down.’ No conjectures about that though, merely the final assertion, “But I’m so glad he can.’

A splendidly silly seasonal comedy from the partnership that are best known for their droll delights delivered through dead pan words and idiosyncratic illustrations.