The+Christmas+Wish


 * __Biographical Data:__**
 * -Age Range:** 3-7 years old
 * -Grade Level:** Preschool-2nd grade
 * -Hardcover, 48 pages**
 * -Publisher:** Random House Books for Young Readers (September 10, 2013)
 * -Language:** English
 * -ISBN-10:** 0449816818

Anya wants very much to become one of Santa's Elves, and one day, she decides to go and find Santa Claus. Having studied the schoolroom map and learned to locate the North Star, Anya is ready to put on her skis and begin her journey. A bright red cardinal swoops down and offers to help her find Santa Claus and later is met by a giant horse who takes over from the bird as her guide. Later on, the horse leaves her with an odd-looking creature, a musk ox, which, having been requested to do so by the cardinal, escorts her under the glacier all the way to the tundra. There Anya is met by a giant polar bear, ready to take her over the tundra, but moving quickly because Christmas is very soon. Anya rides on the back of a polar bear because it is faster. Anya is soon awakened from a rest by the sound of sleigh bells. One of Santa's reindeer lands close by and urges Anya to hurry. Anya is thrilled when they land next to Santa and his toy-filled sleigh. Santa invites Anya to help him drive his sleigh and gives Anya a magical bell that she can use to send for help if she ever needs it.
 * __Summary of book:__**

//The Christmas Wish // is the result of teamwork between a husband-and-wife team, award-winning photographer Per Breiehagen and his wife, first-time author Lori Evert. Their young daughter, Anja, portrays the main character, a little Nordic girl named Anja in this enjoyable picture book. Anja's wish is to be one of Santa's elves. The beautiful photography, Anja's kindness and her magical trip to the North Pole make this a Christmas picture book that will fascinate young children ageing 3 to 6 years old.
 * __Review of the book: __**

Per Breiehagen is a photographer who grew up in a small town in southern Norway. His photography assignments have taken him to Greenland, the North Pole and Antarctica as well as many other places around the world. His work has appeared in //National Geographic// and //The New York Times Magazine//, along with many others. Per Breiehagen has received many awards for his photography. Lori Evert is a prop, set and wardrobe stylist and that certainly contributes to the illustrations. When their daughter was three, Per Breiehagen took a photo of their daughter with a reindeer near their home in Minnesota, and it became the inspiration for Evert's story. //The Christmas Wish// is the first of a planned trio of books on this character’s adventures in the North Pole.
 * __Author biography:__**

Evert and Breiehagen’s first children’s book is a family affair, with the story built around photographs of their daughter, Anja. Set “in a place so far north that the mothers never pack away the wool hats or mittens,” the tale follows Anja as she ventures through ice and snow on skis and aided by several animals to find Santa Claus before Christmas. Dressed in a plaid jumper, Fair Isle sweater, and an elfin red cap, rosy-cheeked Anja looks like she’s stepped out of a fairy tale, and Breiehagen’s wonderful (and, necessarily, digitally altered) photographs of her riding on the back of a polar bear and meeting Santa amid the snowy pines of the North Pole create the sense that magic is very real and fairy tale like.
 * __Analysis of literary element:__**

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