The Big Secret: The Whole and Honest Truth About Santa Claus

This is by far the best book for children coming upon that stage of life where they begin to doubt the existence of Santa Claus. It is perfectly written.

Beautifully written and illustrated book for any parent or grandparent who has a 7 to 13 year old child who is at the point of not believing in Santa. My only criticism is that this book does not come in a hard bound version to be passed down from generation to generation.

I do like this book. It did arrive a day before it said it would, which was great. I was a little hesitant since I didn't see any pictures of it uploaded or listed. (So I thought I would do that in my review. I will upload more photos when I get the book back from him.) I bought this book for our son who is 13, he turns 14 the 30th of December. He does have Autism but is higher functioning. Some of the kids in his class were making fun of him, and he has been asking if Santa was real or not. After my husband and I talked, we agreed we wanted to pass on the spirit of Santa, and we thought it would be perfect since he has a younger brother who is 2. We sat him down and told him that we see that he is maturing and listed off a few things we have noticed. After a little bit, we told him that we had a book for him and we can talk when he is done reading. He read the first few pages and said loudly, "I knew he was real!" Then, after turning the page, exclaimed, "oh!" I would recommend this book, it doesn't go into religious or personal views, kind of leaves it up to the reader.

Helped my daughter tell her 10 year old the truth about Santa. He really wanted to know then was so sad after finding out I thought this might help and it did.

As a real-bearded Santa, I was curious about this book. I take being Santa Claus very seriously. Putting on the 'red suit' is a life altering experience for me, and for all those I come into contact with, especially autistic, hospitalized, and underprivileged children. I wanted to see what this author believes is important to tell kids about Santa Claus when they inevitably reach the age when they discover that Santa is not "real". I couldn't be more disappointed in this book or what the author preaches to parents and grandparents. The book is silly and ridiculous beyond belief. It is a testament to making kids more snowflakes than they now are by the paradigm of modern parenting to 'gingerly' deal with the inevitable exposure to life's disappointments. The author's assinine advice is for adults and 'big kids' (those in the 'know') to avoid hurting the disappointed child's feelings by explaining to the child that Santa really is "magical". The author goes to ridiculous length to argue the key is to let the jilted child down 'softly' by describing how magic is "real" because we all can make magic happen. Magic is "real"; therefore, Santa is "real". What a complete load of hogwallop. This book is best cut up to use as toilet paper.

For we adults who still want to believe in Santa, this book is a blessing. Especially for those who have tender age children or grandchildren. This is the perfect guide for parents who instilled the belief in Santa in their children, or who for some reason chose not to, and now want to address the existence of Santa Clause. The author explores the notion of magic in our world; that which is scientific, and that which we feel and intuit to "be". If you sense that your child is questioning the precious childhood traditions of Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny; this is a wonderful resource. If you have no children or grandchildren, you will still get a spiritual boost from reading this book. It points to the need for all of us to recognize our power of one to make a difference by looking at the magic within us, and around us, at every moment.

Loved this book! The explanation is wonderfully done and beautiful drawings as well. Can't wait to share with my nephew!

We have always used books to explain difficult situations to my daughter. This book worked well to explain the whole truth to my daughter. She is ten and had already suspected, just needed confirmation. It was a bit wordy and as an educator I would recommend this book for age 9 and up. Any younger may not understand all of the message.

Very well written and it is a great way to share the real magic of Christmas with your Big Kid.

Currently on display but under lock and key untill my daughter is ready. This is such a lovely book for the 'big kids club'. Teaches the children that magic is real through kindness, generosity etc but that the legend of Santa comes from the magic of love and kindness through giving to one another. My daughter just turned 9. Kids at school have told her the truth but I've not yet confirmed it. I'm undecided whether to tell her this year or next but this book is really good and focuses on good deads

The images are just a bunch of clip art made into a collage — it looks like it was made in Microsoft word. What an absolute waste of money.

Love this book so much it helped my son who had been told at school by other kids santas not real its just your mam. I gave him this christmas eve off his elves as a present, i decided to make it look really old like it had been passed down in my family. Defiantly worth it!!

The good: Beautiful illustrations and a lovely explanation of magic you can see ( which can be explained by science) and magic you can't see ( feelings, good deeds, love and care for others etc). Overall, a very worthwhile buy as it provides a good framework for The Conversation! The negative: I wish this could be available as a hardback book, for longevity. It's really odd that St Nicholas and the origins of the Santa myth aren't mentioned in this book. It's a bit if a surprising and annoying ommision really, but we just paused and discussed it, then carried on reading the book together, answering questions as we went along.