Santa’s Christmas Countdown

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Kathryn Jewitt, illustrated by Sebastien Braun

Interest age: 2 to 3

Published by Townhouse Publishing Ltd, 2022

Board books
Funny
Touch and feel books

About this book

Santa’s in a panic! Santa’s in a tizz! He’s lost his list of jobs to do. “I don’t know where it is!”

Luckily, he’s sure he can remember all his tasks. Watch as he and the elves oil the sleigh and wrap the presents, brush the reindeer and pack the snacks. And of course, his final job is to deliver gifts for everyone!

With a touch and feel element on every page, young children will enjoy exploring Santa’s world. Stroke his fluffy beard, feel the reindeer’s hay, touch his velvety hat – even Santa’s lucky pants are padded!

The bouncy rhyming text pulls the reader through the story, and there are some funny details in the illustrations, such as Santa accidentally kicking over a pile of presents. Watch out for his dog and cat too!

It is refreshing to see a Black Santa. Many children are sure to be delighted to see someone magical who could look like a member of their extended family.

About the illustrator

Sebastien Braun was born in Strasbourg, the hometown of Gustav Doré and Tomi Ungerer (his heroes). As a child he spent countless hours drawing, but at secondary school there were no art classes, so he filled his homework with doodles and portraits of his teachers. At university he initially studied history – fortunately, the building was shared with the art department, and when he saw the students sketching, knew he had to change. After that, he spent a few years teaching applied art to sixth formers, before taking the plunge as a freelance illustrator. His first commissions were for magazines in Paris, and when he moved to London, he developed his portfolio for children's books.

Apart from creating pictures, Seb's favourite pastimes are making toys from wood, playing with his children and climbing the Cotswold hills on his vintage road bike.

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