Kaleidoscope Santa, Vol 3 — Mary Korte

“Mary, your books are not just stories. THEY'RE MOVEMENTS!” If you are White, you may never have considered that people of other races -- from infancy through adulthood -- might like to see themselves IN Santa Claus. Come ye of all races . . . Welcome to Kaleidoscope SANTA. Its pages expose a Santa, who, all his life, has hidden his born-different, “fluke of nature” secret. He's not just White, but he's not going to tell anyone that. Hmm. How much longer can he keep his secret? BRIEF DESCRIPTION (of all 3 volumes of Kaleidoscope SANTA) Santa and Mitzi Claus have gotten through every Christmas Season without a hitch. This year disaster strikes, threatening exposure of Santa's ethnic secret. Mitzi, bearing the burden of an abusive childhood, not only feels responsible for his troubles; she overreacts, creating havoc for everyone. Be forewarned. Trickery begins when Santa, playing the role of a “Santa Claus helper” at Promenade 23 Shopping Center in Seattle, meets his match in stubbornness. Two teenagers vying for each other's attention, a snoopy reporter determined to get a terrific story, secrets that drive everyone nuts, a toy request no toy factory can produce, a mystery man's sudden appearance, a single mother at her wit's end, an angry child feeling rejected by his father and betrayed by his mother and an unexpected, secret romance move this story to the brink of realism. Hold on to your reindeer reins as you fly through domino-effect dramas intertwined with a myriad of problems, and then skid to a halt in front of an “ending” you'll never forget. FROM WHENCE CAME THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK? When a young Black mother, speaking for herself and her husband, said to me, “We don't promote Santa Claus to our children because Santa is a White thing,” shock rendered me speechless. “A White thing” . . . Is that how People of Color view Santa? I could not uproot the seedling these words nurtured in my mind. It grew and grew into Kaleidoscope SANTA. AND JUST WHO IS THIS 3-VOLUME STORY FOR? Kaleidoscope SANTA is intended for readers eleven years and older [including adults], but please share parts of it with young children, especially the part where Santa reflects back on his childhood and the part where he finds himself in a pickle stew with his reindeer. Yes. They help him divert disaster. PRAISE FOR Kaleidoscope SANTA: “Fresh moments . . . surprises . . . endearing characters . . . thought provoking . . . timely.” Cindy Ruby, M.Ed. [Kirkland, WA] ~ “A fun, creative and humorous read that confronts us with an unconscious ideology of racism without lecturing or judging.” Dr. Janice M. Delange, former UW, WMU and GVSU School of Social work professor [Grand Rapids, MI]; ~ “An engaging story . . . about a cast of characters that would make Dickens proud.” Dr. Loren Steinhauer, Plasma Physicist [Bothell, WA]; ~ ”Captivating from beginning to end . . .” Dianne Wilson, M.Ed. [Detroit, MI]; ~ “A real eye-opener about how other cultures view Santa Claus.” Bonnie Marshall [Yakima, WA]; ~ “It challenges people's thinking and illustrates the gift of giving transcends all races.” Mary Elmore, owner Christmas Gifts on Broadway [Everett, WA]; ~ “Mary, your books are not just stories, they're movements!!” Dena Rebozo, Camano Island, WA.