Dave Hughes & Holly Ife (text), and Philip Bunting (illustrator), Excuse Me, Santa, Scholastic Australia, October 2018, 32 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781742997896
In this sequel to the 2017 bestseller Excuse Me! Comedian Dave Hughes and Holly Ife have again teamed up with illustrator Philip Bunting to deliver a story that’s fun, festive and just a little bit naughty. It features Martha May reprising her role as the oh-so-polite lamb with marvellous manners.
When Martha May investigates a noise on Christmas Eve, she stumbles across the jolly man himself. Santa has been so busy delivering presents that he is quite ravenous, so Martha politely offers him her Great-Aunt’s Christmas pudding. Soon he has scoffed the lot. Can Martha save Christmas when Santa finds he’s now too heavy for the sleigh to lift off? (And will she get woolly socks AGAIN for Christmas?)
Bright, colourful illustrations, with plenty of red and green to boost the festive theme, supply enough hints for children to be in the know about the pudding’s insidious side-effect. They’ll be giggling and jiggling in anticipation of the explosive climax, which is emphasised in a surprise glittery page.
Children 3+ who love Christmas and farts will delight in Excuse Me,Santa!
Reviewed by Julie Murphy
