Are You Grumpy Santa?

I can’t believe anyone would be grumpy this time of year (I Just LOVE the holiday season), but I have to share a fun Christmas book that my students always enjoy reading each year that I have not seen mentioned on other blog posts!

Are You Grumpy, Santa? is a favorite in my speech room.  It is a rhyming tale of how lots of little things (like a stubbed toe, an itchy suit, a freezing shower, and a snoring Mrs. Claus) put Santa in a grumpy mood.  I love this book because it allows you to be really expressive when reading it, silly, and it introduces some great social language concepts like being grumpy versus mad and how you deal with bad days/frustrations!  It also lends itself to good inferencing questions, wh? questions, making predictions, and determining cause and effect.

In the book, a simple act of kindness cheers up Santa (cookies and milk and a sweet little note).  I love to run with this and have the kids think of creative ways they would cheer up Santa Claus if he was grumpy.  I have heard great answers over the past few years including feeding his reindeer for him, making him a pizza, taking him to the mall, getting him a new beard trimmer, etc.  We share our kindness ideas while taking turns tossing an ornament in to a dollar store stocking.  (Share an idea for cheering up Santa, and you get two shots to get the ornament in the stocking).  If they make it, they get a point.  Most points at the end wins, but most importantly, they are thinking about how you cheer up others and practicing their good speech sounds at the same time!  Just make sure you use non-breakable ornaments! J

I found the book at Barnes and Noble, but it is also available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Are-Grumpy-Santa-Gregg-Spiridellis/dp/0786818417

This little book will cheer up anyone!  Enjoy!