Are you searching for a Christmas adventure for your eight-to-twelve-year-old? Do you love Christmas fantasy that’s like The Polar Express, Elf, and The Search for Santa Paws? Look no further than Santa’s Puppy by Catherine Hapka.
Peppermint Bark is a young, fluffy white dog with Santa for his owner. He wants to go with Santa on a gift-delivery round, but Santa doesn’t want to risk losing him. He stows away on the sled, then Santa unknowingly leaves him behind at a family’s house.
Young readers will love Peppermint Bark. He’s a riot as he causes accidents, like trailing chimney soot, splattering soapy bathwater, and knocking down Christmas decorations. His breath smells like peppermint, hot cocoa, and fresh snow. When he wags his tail, it sounds like soft jingle bells. Peppermint Bark’s energetic spirit shines, and we see him put others over himself.
A brother and sister, Chris and Holly, and Holly’s best friend, Ivy, help Peppermint Bark return to the North Pole. They search for portals as they scurry through town. At the Christmas market, they even disguise him as a baby in a stroller. Several incidents of lying happen throughout the book as the group avoids being stopped, so discernment is needed.
Peppermint Bark’s new friends go on their own personal growth journeys. I like how the book foreshadows Holly and Ivy’s fears and later reveals them. Initially, Ivy dodges around Peppermint Bark and insists he wear a leash. On the surface, it looks like she disapproves of Peppermint Bark and is a stickler on leash laws. Then it turns out that Ivy is afraid of dogs, and she works through that fear. Holly refuses to climb a ladder to rescue Peppermint Bark when he’s stuck in a chimney. It may make her look like a sourpuss, but the story later shows that she’s afraid of heights. When she must rescue Chris, however, she climbs a Christmas tree to get to him.
Chris has his own inner struggles, too. He wants Peppermint Bark to stay, but he puts Peppermint Bark’s feelings ahead of his own. Also, he feels Holly is distancing herself from him, and he blames Ivy for changing Holly. But after they experience their riveting adventure and share their secret feelings, Chris and Holly’s relationship heals, and Chris sees Ivy as a friend who’s almost like family.
The world-building of the North Pole is excellent. The North Pole has different clocks that match different time zones. The entrance gates close at midnight, and closing time accommodates to the time zones. In the human world, when Peppermint Bark smells pinecones and gingerbread, this aromatic combination can be a portal to the North Pole.
This story emphasizes Christmas festivities and charity more than Jesus’ birth, though there is a Nativity scene in the Christmas parade. Santa believes many children are good, which I’m sure is based on human standards rather than Biblical standards. However, this story has a sweet theme of treasuring family and friends. The children model sacrificing their desires and comfort for others’ needs. The tale has the essence of magical Christmas stories, and its ending nods to ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
With the book, I’ll say, “Merry Christmas…and to all a good night!”
