Operation Santa Claus

"'Twas the Night Before Christmas' meets NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), tracking Santa's sleigh for his once-a-year mission. But this year, Santa goes missing from the radar. This calls for a rescue mission deployment, but does that delay gift distribution? Not with NORAD on the case! The rhyming text ('Our agency knows on a need-to-know basis/Who's been naughty and nice./Whoa! They're classified cases') and Garland's trademark digital cartoon illustrations capture the command center and bring the jolly old man and his reindeer to life. Santa gives his consent to have the Special Ops teams (Delta Force, Navy Seals, and Army Rangers) and other military volunteers deliver the presents. To continue the fun, readers can check www.noradsanta.org each December as NORAD tracks Santa.Military families and Santa trackers will love this rendition." —School Library Journal

“Santa and his reindeer get lost in a blizzard, but the U.S. military comes to the rescue in this ingenious parody of ‘The Night Before Christmas.’ The cleverly rhymed text uses the basic structure of the familiar poem and places it into a modern setting at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the military agency charged with monitoring all air traffic. When Santa's sleigh disappears from NORAD's radar, the supervising general notifies the commander-in-chief of the U.S., who scrambles fighter jets and Special Forces to assist in finding Santa, and then all the military's resources are deployed around the world to get the presents delivered. Military lingo is embedded in the text ('Now march away! Fly away! Sail away, all!'), and fighter jets, ships, jeeps and Special Ops forces in uniform all help Santa on his way. Digitally produced illustrations have a cinematic quality with a 3-D effect that makes the characters stand out, augmented by dramatic lighting and varied perspectives. Children with parents serving in the armed forces will be especially fond of this version of the beloved poem.” —Kirkus