One of the most exciting Christmas children's books lighting up the marketplace this season is Elise Primavera's Auntie Claus (HBJ, $16.00; ages 5-9) The title character is a glamorous eccentric woman who keeps Christmas lights burning all year, tries to teach her doubting niece that "it's better to give than receive" , and takes a mysterious business trip annually. Her niece,Sophie, a child with an inquisitive mind, wonders who her aunt really is and what secrets she's keeping.
An curious character, an questioning child, holiday magic, and a puzzle are all set ups for a great story, but Auntie Claus does more. Adding dramatic dialogue and surprising illustrations, Primavera succeeds in playfully compelling children through a plot that extends the traditional fantasy and gives them a new way to view the spirit of Christmas.
Primavera, who adored Christmas as a child, is equally enthusiastic as an adult. "What other holiday is steeped in a fantasy world? The whole world stops on Christmas day, " she told me during a recent interview. Now she's contributed a new character that "makes the myth seem even more real."
Auntie Claus was began as Primavera searched for a gift for her godchild. She wanted a recent Christmas book for her godchild and couldn't find a picture book that extended the Santa Claus legend she loves. The idea niggled and she turned over the name Santa Claus in her mind, playing with words, and mentally cavorting down the alphabet rhyming and imaging. When the phrase "Auntie Claus" popped into her brain, she'd suddenly found her character. A short shower later, she'd conjured up a cross between Auntie Mame and Coco Channel who lives in a weird old building in New York. "In New York," Primavera declares, " this could happen." Then she adds, more convincingly, "Actually, she does live there!"
< The person inspired the place. "I envisioned this dark brooding building with glittering Christmas lights lit all year round, but no one knows it provides access to a nether world, this other place. Primavera had a unique title character, the intriguing setting of the Bing Cherry Hotel, then came the heroine.
Sophie is a curious child who Primvera admits, "is probably me. I'm very curious and as a child, I was mischievous and always pushed the envelope." One of her saddest growing up days came when she heard there might not be a Santa Claus. "I didn't care what people said, I knew the North Pole existed. It might be inside the earth, or on another planet, but I knew it was real . That's the kind of mentality I had as a kid, and that's part of the adult I became. I had to make this thing that wasn't real, real because I wanted it so badly to be real."
Primavera makes her wild fantasy real with whimsy of illustration and writing. As Sophie tails her aunt into an enchanted elevator, the pages turn to show you how high up it rises until the doors open in the North Pole. Sophie, who believes "you can never have enough presents" , is conscripted into the role of a working elf and later takes on the scary mission of descending into the coal mines to fetch the B-B-&G (Bad Boys and Girl's )List. She has an ulterior motive; she's afraid she might be on that list. Instead, she finds the name of her spoiled brother, Chris. Knowing that he loves the holiday as much as she does, she replaces his name with hers and begins to understand Auntie Claus' maxim about giving.
Sophie is a complex character for a picture book. "Sophie's not black and white," Primavera explains, "The only thing that makes her spoiled are her surroundings, she doesn't do anything that shows a lack of compassion. She does runs the risk of becoming a spoiled selfish kid, and that's not kind of child who's likely to follow in the generous footsteps of Auntie Claus. Part way through the book, you understand she's a child in the process of becoming. As the story begins, she isn't the kind of child who would be initiated "into the history of their family. She had to earn the knowledge by going through a transformation."
There is a severe case of Auntie Claus Fever going around. This Christmas, the windows at Sak's will be filled with scenes from the book, costumed characters, and they've even tailored an Auntie Claus suit. Nickelodeon's bought movie rights. And Primavera's found a way to let children and adults share her holiday fervor. You can visit her website (www.auntieclaus.com). Once there you can take the B-B-&-G quiz to find out if you're on the list, see how the Sak's project is unfolding, and even check out North Pole updates from Head Elf, Mr. Pudding!