Seasons Readings: The Happy Elf by Harry Connick, Jr.

The Happy Elf
written by Harry Connick, Jr., illustrated by Dan Andreasen
Harper, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-128879-1
Interest Level: Grades K-2
Reviewed from purchased copy.

BLURB:  Eubie is the happiest elf at the North Pole. More than anything else, he longs to be a part of Santa’s sleigh team. Instead, he’s stuck checking the naughty-or-nice lists. Until one Christmas Eve he sees something strange: In the whole town of Bluesville, not a single person has been nice. So with a pinch of elfish magic and a magical whoosh, Eubie’s off to Bluesville. But can he turn a whole town of naughty children nice in just one day? 

The things I liked about this book were:

1. the illustrations are adorable.  The characters are round and cheerful and appealing.  The bright colors contrast nicely with the 'sad' parts.  The illustrations do a nice job of providing the mood behind the story.
2. the theme of happiness and helping others be happy can be the best gift of all.
3. the music.  The book comes with a CD with the author singing the song upon which the story is based. It is a fun, toe-tapping song.

 The things I didn't like so well:

1. the elf cheering up an entire town by himself is not completely believable.
2. Santa getting upset with Eubie for using his magic hat to travel to Bluesville to cheer the place up.
3. the story is a tad wordy for a read-a-loud, especially for the younger crowd who are most likely to like this story.

I think however, that despite my reservations I will still use the book and CD with my students (1st Graders) just to see how they react to it.