We all know Santa spends Christmas Eve making lists, checking them twice, reigning in reindeer, leaving gifts for the "nice." But what about Mrs. Claus? First-time author Kate Wharton weaves a modern tale about the ways Santa's better half might occupy herself while her husband navigates chimneys and stuffs the stockings.

Perhaps Mrs. Claus runs and advises the whole operation of Claus Enterprises. She meets with the elves and she gives her projections for upcoming toys and new safety inspections.... She develops new products with elf engineers: broccoli candy canes, self-cleaning deer, supersized stockings and buccaneer bears, paddleball rockets and rabbity chairs.

Wharton's merry text will inspire many a theory about Mrs. Claus, while the visual jokes in Christian Slade's detailed paintings will have little bellies shaking like bowls full of jelly....