Santa Calls by William Joyce

I am not sure I ever mentioned this before but back when I was in the stores I very rarely bought books for myself. The books I bought were usually gifts. It had to be a very special book for me to buy for myself.

Santa Calls by William Joyce was one of those special books. I loved it as soon as I saw it. The art deco design was right up my alley and it gave me a warm feeling when I first picked it up. The warm feeling continued as I read it. It really is a magical story about a boy, his sister and his friend who meet Santa while having a wonderful adventure. It really does invoke the spirit of Christmas.

Years later when I was working as a children's book buyer I had the good fortune to meet William Joyce. I brought along my book for him to sign~it was a happy moment for me. By an odd coincidence there was a man there who looked like Santa Claus~Mr. Joyce thought that was very funny and invited him over to speak to us. It is probably one of my memorable author lunches ever. I also loved the Saks Fifth Ave in NYC used his illustrations for their window~I actually stood in a very long line just to pass by and view it up close~although it was cold out I still got that warm feeling inside.

This is a wonderful book for any age to remind us of the magic of Christmas!