Santa's Lost Elves

Santa to the rescue! With help from the reindeer, of course.

I loved every moment of the fun, rhythmical read. The illustrations are colorful and show us Santa looking everywhere for his missing elves. As the story is being read -- seriously, it's a fun read -- children can offer ideas, of course, since Santa doesn't seem to be having much luck at first. As a former teacher, I loved that the first sign of something being wrong was the silence. Most adults quickly learn that when things are normally active and noisy, total silence is rarely a good sign. Children should also immediately enjoy the antics of the elves and funny looking reindeer. In other words, lots to like as we find out Santa isn't living in the dark ages, either. Good thing, too, as it helps him save his elves and some humans, too. The "back home again" illustrations are a hoot.

As noted, I thoroughly loved the fun, bouncy spirit of this story. Since I like to try read-aloud type books, well, aloud, I even read it aloud to the only one handy, my dog. Even she seemed to appreciate the rhythmic bounce of the lyrical story. So, four paws up and a tail wag from my Daisy dog. Santa, she'll leave her list by the fireplace. Thanks #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for sharing this fun tale with me. I think it may become an annual read, even if I no longer qualify as a child. Hey, us big kids like fun stories, too!

The writing was in rhyme and when I got to the end I wanted to keep on going. It had a great flow to it. It certainly felt like it went a lot quicker than some other books, which I took to be a positive sign. There wasn't a fixed rhyming pattern or set length of text, but this didn't seem to matter. Nothing felt forced or jarred.

The word difficulty varied, which meant that the book could grow with the child. As there were a lot of words on each page I would say that it was aimed at more confident readers.

The text was in a clear font with a couple of words picked out to be slightly bigger. The text was either black or white depending on the colour of the background. The colour of the background was based upon where the text was on the picture. The text was in a block on each page so you knew where to read (except on one page).

The pictures were great. They were bright and bold with a fair amount of detail, but not too much. They were certainly eye catching and entertaining.

Overall an amusing Christmas story and one that I enjoyed reading.

My children and I loved this ebook!! Even though it’s a little early we all cuddled around and read this tonight!

They are now super excited for the holiday season! The story is precious and the artwork is superb!!! The only wished that we saw ALOT more elves! 😂❤️💚

Don’t pass this one this holiday season!

Thank you netgalley for the ebook in exchange for our honest review. My kiddos and I love when we get to do this together!

How wonderful to read another funny Christmas book by Rachel Hilz after her equally wonderful books Santa’s Lost Sleigh and Santa’s Lost Reindeer! The rhyming text is pure delight, but the illustrations steal the show. The colors red and blue pop off the page with goofy expressions on every character’s face. What an excellent holiday bedtime story to read aloud to young children!

Delightful pictures and story. If I was reading this to a child, I would point out what the characters were doing on all the different pages. Poor Santa, his elves are missing and it’s Christmas Eve. He searches everywhere, with no luck. The lesson from this story is that even though things don’t go as planned, they work out in the end. NetGalley and the publisher gave me a copy to review, thank you. This review is unbiased and my own opinions.

SANTA’S LOST ELVES by Rachel Hilz is a children’s story akin to ‘The Night Before Christmas’ .


Told in ABCB rhyme scheme SANTA’S LOST ELVES focuses on the rescue of Santa’s Elves. Before the big night, the Elves go an a journey to the ski slopes where they will be stuck in the air when the ski-lift breaks down. With the help of Santa and his reindeer, the Elves will be rescued in time to deliver the presents around the world.

SANTA’S LOST ELVES is a story suited for children four to seven years of age with colorful images, and easy text except for a couple of more difficult words (maneuvered / task). A cute story told in the same rhyme and prose style of ‘The Night Before Christmas’ which should be familiar to most children.



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B&N (Sandy_thereadingcafe) posted

Cute little Christmas story that is perfect for my 2-year old! We loved all the rhyming and how catchy the words are. And the illustrations are bright and attractive and done really well! Particularly love how round and jolly Santa appears with skinny legs and ankles hehe.

Thank you so much to Spirit Frog Press / Booksgosocial and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

It’s almost time to deliver the presents but it’s too quiet in the pole, where have the elves gotten of too? Santa searches high and low to find where they had gone, and finds them needing his help.

This was an adorable and beautifully illustrated book, that was filled with humour and great rhymes. The elves were really funny, they always like to play and went off for one last ski and needed Santa to actually come rescue them, which was really funny.

I loved reading this book, it was written really well, you had so much to look at on each page, I liked that it was funny in many places from what was written to what was drawn. It was so much fun.

I loved reading this Christmas book, if you love reading holiday books with your children and like funny books then I recommend this one, it made me laugh, I loved every second of reading it and it was wonderful to look at.

"Santa's Lost Elves" by Rachel Hilz is a heartwarming and enchanting holiday tale that will surely capture the hearts of readers young and old. This delightful book weaves a magical narrative that takes you on a journey to the North Pole, where you'll meet a cast of endearing characters, including Santa Claus and his beloved elves.

Hilz's storytelling is simply enchanting. Her vivid descriptions of the North Pole and the lovable elves make it easy to visualize this wintery wonderland. The narrative unfolds with a perfect balance of suspense and charm, keeping readers engaged from beginning to end. It's a story that appeals to both children and adults, reminding us of the true spirit of Christmas and the importance of kindness, teamwork, and the joy of giving.

The illustrations are equally captivating, adding an extra layer of magic to the story. They are beautifully rendered, bringing the characters and the snowy landscape to life.

"Santa's Lost Elves" is not just a holiday story; it's a timeless classic that can be enjoyed year after year. It's a heartwarming reminder that the holiday season is about more than just presents; it's about spreading love, warmth, and the spirit of togetherness. Rachel Hilz's book is a must-read for anyone who wants to rediscover the magic of Christmas.

What a precious book! The story is cute and a quick read. It keeps the reader entertained with a fun story line and bright, colorful illustrations. The rhyme and rhythm of the book make for an easy read for the adult as well…which makes for a wonderful read aloud book! I can absolutely see this becoming a family favorite to be read time and time again at Christmas!

I lo e childrens Christmas books. This one was funny, cute & a little cheesy. But overall I think kids will love it! Will Santa be able to save the elves In time? You'll have to read & see!
Great pictures, cute rhyming rhythm. Go get it today!

Guess it is getting near Christmas for us all.

For Santa it is too close and he has managed to misplace his Elves. In the past, Reindeer and even his Sleigh have been lost for a while, now his Elves have gone missing.

I simply loved the first indication for Santa that all was not well at the North Pole was the fact it was so quiet. Children, like my grandchildren will love the fun and play the Elves enjoy and will easily identify with them. Having run into trouble while off skiing it was reassuring that Santa was just a phone call away. Not mad, and ready to “fly” to their rescue.

Of course teamwork was employed and the reindeer were pressed into service before their big day. No-one moans and hopefully all will be well for Christmas Eve.

Again, the illustrations highlight the simple rhyming text, and the reindeer hanging out and having fun brought a smile to my face and giggles from the kids.

A delight and joy to read and share with others.

A cute rhyming book about how Santa rescued his elves on the night before Christmas. Santa is always a big hit with kids and my daughter (5) loved this picture book. The illustrations are so funny.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an Advance Review Copy.

Loved it and so did the kids! The pictures were great to capture the kids attention, and mine!
I loved how the story was read in the outline of the "Twas the Night Before Christmas". It was a very cute story and the rhyming made it even more fun.
The only little hiccup we had was that Santa mentioned his top reindeer was "Bucky" and the kids were expecting Rudolph, but besides that we enjoyed it.

I also did not realize there is more in this series. (Santa's Lost Sleigh and Santa's Lost Reindeer) Looking forward to reading these as well!

Another fun Christmas tale and this time it is the elves who get lost!

I love the rhyming pattern which mimics 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' and the illustrations are fun. One slight issue - Santa's best reindeer is obviously Rudolph but in this story it is Bucky - for rhyming purposes I think but it might confuse some kids!

Despite this I think this is a great little picture book that kids will enjoy in the lead up to Christmas.

Another cute read in this series. Now it’s the elves turn to be lost. Can Santa find them in time for Christmas?
Cute illustrations and in the popular rhyme, this could easily be a new holiday read for everyone.

This is the cutest book! This would be a great classroom read a loud book for Christmas time!! The illustrations are so nice!! You just root for Santa to help everyone!!

This is a super fun, different take on Christmas stories. I love that it follows the rhyming pattern of other Christmas books, but tells a totally different story than usual. My son was excited to find out what happened to the elves and if Santa was able to save them in time! This is definitely a great holiday books for little ones!

The third book in the Santa’s Lost series is Santa’s Lost Elves by Rachel Hilz. The comical children’s Book is a rhyming, rhythmical wonder that takes place in the lead up to Christmas. What is quite novel about the book is that we often see stories where a hero needs to save Santa in order to save Christmas whereas this book sees Santa being asked to save his crew in order to make the main event happen.

Waking up one morning, Santa finds all his elves have absconded but figures they cannot have gone far. Searching high and low around his property, there is not an elf to be seen and Santa cannot work out why. Just as well we are in the digital era and just about everyone has a phone. Giving them a video call, he is told that a mishap on an excursion sees the elves stranded and unable to get themselves to safety. With a sleigh that needs packing with presents, and time of the essence does Santa tackle the delivery himself or continue searching for his friends? And what are the consequences of his choice?

The ABCB rhyming scheme of this book gave it a great flow with perfect rhymes. The language was appropriate for the target audience of 4-8 yield olds, although I would argue that younger children would also appreciate this book. The illustrations by Remesh Ram are big, bold, and beautiful and match the wording perfectly. Most of the pictures are double page spreads with cartoonish characters, much like the illustrations of the Beano characters.

I like the originality within this book where it is less about Christmas and more about the preparation beforehand. We only know Christmas has happened because of a single line in the poem. Reading this to my sons brought us a lot of laughs and awed expressions as we took time pouring over the images. We also found one reading was not enough and returned for an immediate second visit where the reading was just as enjoyable as the first time despite knowing what was going to happen.

Overall, the book is well edited. The grammar and spelling are error-free. The level is as you would expect for the audience. There were no complex words that gave cause to stop and provide explanation, all of which created a highly professional finish. We might just have to get the rest of the series now.

After losing his reindeer, and his sleigh, in other books in this series (apparently), this time it's the turn of the elves to go a-vanishing, when Santa wakes up on Christmas Eve to find none of his little helpers in attendance. No, they've gone off for some free time, and got stuck. Very cartoonish artwork (although I think the cover art the cheesiest and naffest present) is aided by some very strong rhyming narrative, as we get the full story of where they are and why, and how Santa might possibly save the day – but even then can they get through the night that follows? It's lively and colourful, it doesn't try and change or tweak the accepted Christmas lore – it's fine fun, actually. It might not have that completely memorable Something to make this a must-buy, but it should not be dismissed – four stars.

This is such a great book. My daughter and I read it together. She loved the photos and the story. It's very cute and of course it rhymes. I highly recommend for all the littles. I can't wait to purchase it for my niece.

📱E-Book Review📱

Santa's Lost Elves
Rachel Hilz

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

When my children were younger, one of our favourite things to do was share a good book at bedtime. Even better when the weather gets colder and we would snuggle, reading Christmas books!

It's hard to find new Christmas themed books that are different, but this really stood out.
Santa was getting ready for the big night and all his elves are missing - where could they have gone?

I loved that the elves had gone off to ski and then got stuck on the ski-lift. Something I've not seen before.

The story had a lovely rhyme to it which made it sound great when read aloud. It was not a continuous rhyme but more in the style of a Dr Seuss book (one of our favourite authors!) and this still flowed really well.

There were quite a lot of words - so this would be a perfect book to share with smaller children at storytime or as a bedtime story.
There were also some more complex words so great for the more adept younger reader to learn from too.

The images were bold and bright and would be great to follow along for those younger children who were being read to.
These were not too fussy but busy enough to prompt further discussions either during or at the end of the book.

A really lovely read which will be a great addition to any home bookshelf and one that I can see being a firm favourite.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Poor Santa found himself in a jam. He was losing his jolliness because his elves were missing, and time was running out if they were to continue the Christmas cheer for boys and girls. Santa thought of the things his elves do for fun and wondered where they could be and what could have happened to them. This book is a short, sweet delight for your kids.

“Twas the night before Christmas.” Santa can’t rest when he realizes that it is just too quiet. The elves in this story behave like kids. As any parent or teacher knows, kids who are having fun are noisy. If it is quiet, that is a sign that there could be a problem. Santa searches for his elves and cannot find them anywhere. When he finally finds out that they are stranded, he uses teamwork to rescue them and bring them home. Rachel Rachel Hilz uses a familiar rhythm and rhyming pattern. Even little ones will be reminded of the original 19th century “Night before Christmas” poem. The events described by her words are illustrated by Remesh Rom’s bright, clever artwork. The is a lot of activity in those scenes with some clever detail to find. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, Books Go Social, through NetGalley. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to be read aloud to young children and as independent reading for older kids. This is a great new book to share with the family.

A delightful wee festive tale with vibrant illustrations by Ram Ramesh and a nice rhyming story from Canadian kids author Rachel Hilz. Twas the night before Christmas, but all Santa's elves are AWOL? Can he find them before the holidays are spoiled for children all over the world?

There's lots of fun and smile-inducing lines in Hilz's rhyming story, as well as Ramesh's illustrations. Overall the verse tale 'scans' well (a couple of minor pacing/rhythmic issues, but it's good overall), and I think this would be very re-readable for little ones and those reading it aloud to them. I see Hilz and Ramesh have other instalments in this festive series (Santa's Lost Sleigh, Santa's Lost Reindeer), and I'd certainly consider nabbing them for friends and family. Would likely make a nice present.

Cute little book to read before Christmas. My 3 year old seemed to enjoy this one quite a bit and was asking questions along the way.

I read this short picture book for my cousin, she is 8 years old but recently started reading English and Hasti has screamed the 5-star rating!

The story is about Santa who is searching with his sleigh and beautiful reindeers for elves.

Thank you BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for ARC, Hasti and I have given our honest review.

A very cute rhyming Christmas book with lots of bright colours and entertaining pictures. A cute read for the Christmas season for the little ones!

This was such a cute book! I LOVED the illustrations. I could definitely see myself reading this one again. The rhyming was very well done. As an adult, I appreciated the satire throughout. Well done!

This is such a lovely picture book! The text is also darling, and it reads easily and effortlessly, the text kind of flows and sometimes makes you smile, sometimes makes you laugh. The pictures complement the text perfectly.
There is one thing I’d most definitely change about the book, it’s the font. It looks a bit… wonky. Yes, it’s cute and quirky, but that works only if you are an adult and a neurotypical one at that. If you are dyslexic or if you are a young child who is just learning to read on their own, then it won’t work. Confusing and difficult. Or, it works if you don’t expect the child to read along with you, follow the text, and do all the reading aloud yourself.

My seven year old loved this book and we enjoyed it at our nightly bedtime story time together. Good book.

This is a lovely Christmas story. The rhythm of the text makes it a great read. The pictures are beautiful and colourful.
I read it with my grandson who loved it. We both thought Bucky looked great with his glowing nose, and once more, Santa and his elves were heroes. The perfect ingredients for a good Christmas story.

We loved this cute little Christmas story. I mean, who doesn't love the elves and getting a little glimpse into what they do when they're not building toys in a bit of a slapstick "Santa lost them" sort of way was just plain fun. I dare you not to smile reading this one.

My kids especially loved the reindeer. They noted that the lead reindeer was NOT Rudolf nor was his nose red...but they rolled with it.

Special shout out to the illustrator. The illustrations are bright and fun and scream Christmas. Well done, all.

***Review first posted to Feathered Quill Book Reviews***

Santa's Lost Elves: A Funny Christmas Holiday Storybook Adventure for Kids
By: Rachel Hilz
Illustrated by: Remesh Ram
Publisher: Spirit Frog Press
Publication Date: October 2023
ISBN: 978-1990531378
Reviewer by: Diana Coyle
Review Date: November 2, 2023

What does Santa do when he calls upon his elves and they aren’t anywhere to be found? It’s Christmas Eve and Santa needs to get ready to do his overnight job of delivering toys around the world to the good boys and girls, but when he calls his elves, no one answers in Santa’s Lost Elves by Rachel Hilz. Santa is in a panic because time is running out before he needs to leave to deliver all the toys. What is Santa to do?

Santa looks high and low in every possible place where the elves normally hang out with each other, but to no avail, no elves are found anywhere. He calls them on his cell phone, but still no one answers. All he knows is they left in the morning and promised to return for their planned Christmas flight. But without the elves, Christmas Eve will turn out to be a disaster this year if Santa doesn’t start finding what happened to all of them. He soon finds out that they decided to go to the mountain to have some fun and blow off some steam before their big night ahead. Since they still had a little time left before heading home, they decided to do one more ski run down the mountain. But little do they know, the ski lift is going to break and they are all going to be stuck for quite a while.

The facial expressions of Santa throughout this children’s picture book were priceless. Readers will find themselves laughing out loud at how expressive he was and just how panicked he was becoming as time ticked on and he couldn’t find his elves. When he finally found them all stuck in the ski lift, he came up with a creative idea in rounding up his reindeer to go pick up all the elves and the children who were stuck on the lift with the elves. It was time to bring the elves and children home to safety and who else to do such a great deed than Santa himself?

Another enjoyable thing about this book was that the author wrote in rhyme to the classic story, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. As soon as you start reading, you will immediately go into the cadence of how the original Christmas story is read and you will effortlessly read Santa’s Lost Elves in that same cadence. This will add to the reader’s pleasure while turning the pages of Hilz’s book.

The illustrations done by Remash Ram can be enjoyed by the reader, just as much as reading the book itself. They were comical and whimsical at the same time. Children will love looking at the funny pictures as they are having the book read to them, or they are independently reading to themselves.

Additional information to note is that this book is the third of 3 in the Santa’s Lost series and is written for the 4-8 year-old range. This book can definitely be read without reading the others, but what child wouldn’t love reading all three books in this series to fully enjoy what Santa, his elves, and reindeer are up to?

Quill says: Santa’s Lost Elves is a story that children, along with adults, will love reading. It teaches children that although things don’t always go as planned, if you think it through, you can come up with a solution that will work for everyone. Plus, it stresses that teamwork is very important when needing to get things done in a timely fashion.

I liked the play on "The Night Before Christmas." The illustrations were nice. It was a cute read for Christmas.

Thank you to the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute book! My 5 year old class loves it, we read it every day! It's a spin0off of "Twas the Night Before Christmas", and has lots of cute rhymes. The illustrations are great, the kids love pointing out the funny things the elves and reindeer were up to on each page. I will definitely recommend this to my friends and co-workers, and buy a physical copy for my class! Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Such a cute and colorful picture book. Santa knows something is amiss when it gets way to quiet. Where are the elves? When Santa discovers they are missing he enlists the help of his trusty reindeer to track them down and get them all home safely. It seems the elves have gone off for a day of skiing but find themselves stranded on the ski lift - Santa to the rescue. The story is so well told in rhyme and the illustrations are so engaging that you just have to stop and examine all that is happening on each page! Add this one to your holiday picture book collection! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest review.

My grandsons loved this book so much that I bought a copy for them for Christmas.

The illustrations were cute as was the storyline. It was easy for my grandsons to follow along and they wanted to read the book over and over again.

This is a great children's Christmas book, which my daughter and I loved reading together. It tells the story of Santa looking for his missing elves, and it is so cute and fun. The illustrations in the book are bright and colourful, and the text is easy to read. This book would make a wonderful Christmas gift for any young child. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This book was simply amazing! The artwork was so well done! The rhymes were so cute. It was a perfect Christmas book. My kids loved it and as soon as we were done reading they asked me to read it again and if we can buy it. I will definitely be picking this one up for our Christmas book collection! Definitely recommend!!

A delightful story of Santa setting out to find his missing elves .
It’s Christmas time and Santa is looking for his elves to wrap presents in time for Christmas.

A wonderful story told in rhyme that will delight children of all ages .

The illustrations were beautiful and colorful..

I just reviewed Santa's Lost Elves by Rachel Hilz. #SantasLostElves #NetGalley

What naughty elves! They sneak away at the busiest time of the year. Kids wand parents alike will enjoy the Twas the Night Before Christmas type rhymes.

This was a really lovely story and we loved the illustrations!

I read the book with my daughter and she loved it, she was pointing out what the elves were doing and really enjoyed the story. She read the book to me and it was a great way for us to spend some time away from the TV, tablets and phones as well. We do love a traditional book at times, rather than an eBook (not that there is not a time and place for them, I read plenty!)

We will definitely be reading it again nearer Christmas day – it was brilliant, lots of fun and giggles had, it is no hesitation in giving this one 5 stars – a fab Christmas read – very highly recommended!

It was a very, very enjoyable read. I will be recommending this to everyone I know who has small kids. The writing is fun, the story is fun, and the lesson is great.

This was very cute! I shared it with my 4 year old daughter and she loved it. It will probably become a Christmas time staple. It was cute, rhymed really well, and the pictures were bright, vibrant, and clear. :)

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for an ARC!

It was a cute and enjoyable read for kids.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!