Beautiful illustrations. ( )

As the magic of Christmas draws near, there is much for Santa Claus to do. He brushes the reindeer and shines up his sleigh. He checks his list and packs up the toys. Santa loves all the children and knows that the magic of Christmas will soon be here. And when it arrives, the reindeer will fly, and Santa will be on his way.

The Bottom Line: Muth's enchanting illustrations bring Thompson's gentle holiday story to life. Filled with soft, glowing watercolors, this picture book is magic. Enthusiastically recommended for bedtime reading for kids in PreK - Grade 2.
This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

When Santa feels that special tingling in his whiskers, one starry night, he knows that the Christmas Magic is on its way, and he begins to prepare for that extraordinary night, when he visits the children of the world. Calling in the reindeer from the snowy fields, and grooming their coats; polishing his bright red sleigh, and the jingly bells on his harness; darning his warmest socks, and trimming his beard and mustache; and finally, most importantly of all, ascending to the highest room in the house, where the presents are stored: Santa does everything necessary to be ready. Ready for the Christmas Magic, whose coming signals the beginning of a marvelous journey...

Lauren Thompson's simple story, in which a solitary Santa makes himself ready for the big night, is greatly enhanced by the beautiful watercolor and pastel illustrations of Jon J. Muth, whose Zen Ties was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 2006. There is a luminous quality to these paintings, which manage to capture both the quiet peace of Santa's northern home, and the excitement and magic of his role in the world. Quirky details - Santa's pointy mustache, his devoted pet reindeer, who follows him around - only make the artwork that much more charming. This is not your usual roly-poly Santa, but The Christmas Magic makes one feel that he is Santa, all the same. Highly recommended to anyone who loves magical Santa Claus stories, or to anyone who appreciates Jon J. Muth's gorgeous artwork! ( )

The dreamy quality of Jon Muth's illustrations and Lauren Thompson's lyrical prose create a truly magical holiday story. ( )

A wonderful story to get into the Christmas spirit. This will be at the top of my lists of books to pull out at the beginning of the season to get in the Magical mood of Christmas. And of course you can't go wrong when Jon Muth illustrates a story. ( )