Santa Claus is Coming to Town, by Haven Gillespie & J. Fred Coots, illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom

You better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better not pout,
I’m telling you why…

This hardcover picture book offering brings to life the lyrics of the popular song Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Featuring animal characters – a lion, a rabbit, a giraffe, a bear an a monkey – as they prepare for Christmas, and spread the news that Santa is coming by train, plane, by drum and more – this celebratory offering is accompanied by a CD recording sung by Human Nature.

Youngsters will enjoy seeing a song they are likely to be familiar with brought to life and to interpret the subplots of the illustrations as the characters exchange gifts, play tricks, argue and celebrate.

Good Christmas fun.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town, by Haven Gillespie & J. Fred Coots, illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom
Scholastic, 2015
ISBN 9781743626405

Me and Moo by P Crumble ill Nathaniel Eckstrom

This is me, and this is Moo

Can you tell which one is me and which one is Moo?

Moo lives under my bed, and at night he

Eats Mum’s flowers from the backyard.

I tell him not to eat the flowers but

He just loves the purple ones.

This is me, and this is Moo

Can you tell which one is me and which one is Moo?

Moo lives under my bed, and at night he

Eats Mum’s flowers from the backyard.

I tell him not to eat the flowers but

He just loves the purple ones.

The young narrator introduces his friend Moo and talks about how Moo came to be his friend and part of his family. Moo was small when he arrived but is now much bigger than the narrator. His family accept Moo, despite his clumsiness and his struggles with the house rules. Now that the narrator is at school, Moo sometimes goes too. And it is at school that the narrator discovers that other children have special friends too. These special friends are really good at different games, much better than the narrator’s friends. When a sleepover gets a little scary, the narrator tells his friends about Roar, the lion who lives in his wardrobe. Illustrations are digital in muted greens, blues and browns and provide plenty of humour to the spare text.

Me and Moo is a story of imaginary friends. While Moo helps the narrator in his everyday life, the imaginary friends of his school friends also help him to realise that he is not the only one who sometimes needs help. When the sleepover looks like it might be derailed by the scary stories the narrator is telling, he offers Roar, who lives in his wardrobe as protection for them all. Gently told, with a solid dollop of humour, Me and Moowill help timid children to feel less alone. Recommended for pre- and early schoolers.

 

Me and Moo, P Crumble ill Nathaniel Eckstrom
Scholastic Australia 2015 ISBN: 9781743625323

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com