How to Catch an Elf
(How to Catch #3)

The team behind How to Catch a Leprechaun follows the efforts of several children--clearly ones who are destined for Santa's naughty list--to capture one of Santa's elves. Mischievous readers will likely enjoy watching the tiny elf attempt to escape traps that include a tinsel net, a family cat, and (somewhat disturbingly) sticks of dynamite nestled in a pile of chocolates, as well as a cowboy tree ornament wielding an electric brand. Why all the threats of violence against someone who's part of Santa's gift-delivery operation? It's never really clear, and before long Santa and the elf are narrowly escaping hams and cookies fired at them through a "Dinner Cannon," coasting down a river of eggnog, and soaring across the sky on a pizza. Wallace's rhymes and Elkerton's in-your-face images hit their comedic marks, but the overall story is chaotic and confusing. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)