Reviewed by Claire Stuckey
We meet Santa and the elves busy preparing for Christmas in the first
double page spread of this graphic novel picture book. Some of the elves are
also busy being cheeky.
Santa in his sleigh travels across the starry sky arriving at a house
with no chimney but a snowman guarding the front. Santa enters the door in
search of Lily’s room. He sneaks out but Lily is disturbed and rushed out to
hug him. Just as they greet each other, a large sharp object enters the frame,
and the snowman is toppled over. We then see that the scene is on top of a
Christmas cake that is being sliced by a mother surrounded by a family celebrating
Christmas. The children then realise that the decoration has disappeared and
wave to the Santa sleigh.
This book is presented in frames with minimal text. There are some
visual clues to the humour including “Made in China” on the underside of the
snowman. The slice of cake is a clever twist and the clothes of the family
celebrating indicate the warm Australian climate which contrasts with the
snow-covered scene. The cover and endpapers feature shiny silver stars.
My only issue with this innovative story is that Lily’s face in some
frames did not meet the same quality as the rest of the illustrations. Overall,
this is an intriguing Australian Christmas story that can be enjoyed by
families and especially children that are keen on the graphic novel format.
Recommended for ages 3 years plus
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