Santa Baby by Smriti Prasadam-Halls
![cover image](https://www.readplus.com.au/covers/santababy.jpg)
Ill. by Ada Grey. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408849484
(Ages: 4-8) Recommended. Children cannot get enough of Christmas
themed books, and despite it being outside of their reality,
Australian children seem to love reading stories about white, wintry
Christmases. Bloomsbury is good at these heart-warming, feel-good
tales and this one is no exception. A glittery front cover and fun,
bold illustrations will draw children in and the warmth and magical
quality of the narrative will keep them engaged. Christmas books can
often be predictable or lack originality but this one gives us
something a little unique - Santa has a son! The effortless rhyming
text tells the story of Santa Baby and his baby reindeer friend Roo.
They are too small to ride in the sleigh on Christmas Eve, but when
Santa leaves some gifts behind they embark on a mission to save the
day and deliver them. A few distractions and a sleigh mishap later,
Santa Baby realises he isn't quite big enough to help his dad with
delivering presents yet.
There are plenty of fun moments with magical sleigh rides, snowball
fights, slippy sliding with the penguins and Christmas morning joy.
Children will love escaping into this joyful world; a simple problem
is easily solved and then everyone returns home to a warm house
filled with love and presents. It truly evokes the warm feeling of
being a child at Christmas time.
Nicole Nelson