Waiting for Santa by Lucy Cochran. Illus. by Heidi McKinnon

Harry and Ren have written their letters to Santa and now they are off to the shopping centre to see him and share what's on their wishlist, Harry wants to take his pet cat Moloko, but Mum says no, so he sneaks him in his backpack anyway... and it's just as well he does.

But when they get to the mall they discover that many others have the same idea and the queue is very long.

7000 more elf-steps until Santa?' says Ren.
'I need a coffee,' says Mum.
'I need a phone charger,' says Dad.
'I need the bathroom!' says Harry.

Can the children remain patient? Or is there another way to the front of the line?

This is a modern take on what has become a tradition in many families - having the children's photo taken with Santa - and both author and illustrator have included both reality and humour into the story, much of which will be familiar to anyone who has waited in such a queue. How are the children feeling? What are the adults thinking? Is it worth it? Is Santa even there?

The wait for Christmas Eve can seem as long as the wait in the queue but there are lots of things to do that help the time pass - family traditions that build up the anticipation, and many of which are included in the illustrations - and children will delight in sharing those that are on their countdown calendar, as well as learning about others that other families have. And if that includes waiting in a seemingly never-ending line for a couple of minutes on Santa's knee and the click of a camera to maintain the magic, then so be it. I'm not the only grandmother with an album of photos to treasure because kids and grandkids are too big for Santa's knee now.

Themes: Santa Claus, Christmas, Elves.

Barbara Braxton