A charming, global adventure wrapped in rhyme and holiday cheer! 🌍🎄

12 Little Elves Save Christmas is a festive delight that takes readers on a whirlwind journey across the world after a storm threatens to cancel Christmas traditions everywhere. Luckily, twelve determined elves are on the case—restoring decorations, reviving local customs, and bringing joy wherever they go.

Stephanie Campisi’s rhyming text is playful and engaging, making it an instant storytime favorite. But it’s Susanna Covelli’s illustrations that truly steal the show—vibrant, whimsical, and packed with festive detail, they’ll absolutely enchant young readers and Christmas lovers alike.

What makes this book extra special is its global perspective. From paper lanterns in Argentina to nativity scenes in Lebanon, each stop on the elves’ journey offers a beautiful window into how different cultures celebrate the season. The final pages feature flags and fun facts about each country, including traditional holiday treats—which makes it perfect for curious minds and classroom reading.

Heartwarming, colorful, and brimming with joy, this is a must-have for any holiday bookshelf. A celebration of Christmas spirit, community, and cultural traditions that young readers will want to revisit year after year.

🎁 Ages: 3–7
📚 Perfect for: Holiday gift giving, classroom libraries, global-themed storytime, Christmas countdowns

My little guy loved this story! He has made me read it 3 times already and keeps asking for Christmas people!

LOVE this. I'm a big Christmas fan and want to show my diversity in books I have for my son and this is great for that! I love the ways we can see the holidays are spent around the world.

Give a big cheer, the elves are here!

A huge storm is threatening Christmas, but 12 elves are determined to make sure that all the world gets to celebrate.

Written in charming verse, the illustrations gives It's a Small World Vibes as the elves traverse the globe. This book will be a great tool in kindergarten classes (and homes) to teach children about the ways that different cultures celebrate the Christmas season. It would also allow for children to even talk about their own holiday traditions, opening the door for children to embrace the uniqueness of different cultures.

A must for any classroom or home bookshelf!

Thank you to NetGalley and Familius Books for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Familius for an advanced reading copy of this book. 12 Little Elves Save Christmas will be released on September 9, 2025.

There is so much to love about this book. As I was reading it, I was envisioning the lessons I could teach to students to tie in multiculturalism. The different counties mentioned would help make this book a great introduction for a Christmas around the world unit. The illustrations were beautiful! The text was easy to read, and perfect for a read aloud. Students and teachers (and librarians) will all have Christmas fun when they read this book!

12 Little Elves Save Christmas by Stephanie Campisi is a fun and whimsical holiday story that brings the excitement of a last-minute Christmas rescue to life. It’s a great pick for celebrating Christmas Around the World, whether in the classroom or at home with your child.

I see this book as a jumping off place for a Christmas program. With so many countries and so many cultures to study, this book could even be used at home to give kids something exciting in the stretch before Christmas when they are wild. I would have liked to have some recipes and some instructions on some of the activities mentioned. On the other hand, it's a good start to teaching some simple research techniques.

The illustrations are cute, but not too soppy like many Christmas books.

An incredibly cute children’s book I loved reading to my son and daughter. Multi-cultural in that it shares Christmas traditions from across the world, which I thought was both incredibly sweet, inclusive, and taught us something new.