Jarvis, Mr Santa, Walker Books, October 2024, 40 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781529511574
How many questions for Santa would you be able to squeeze in if you had the opportunity to meet him? In Mr Santa, one lucky child gets a chance to ask many of the burning questions that children ruminate on during the festive time of year.
In a clever show of creativity, author/illustrator Jarvis, manages to capture the innocence of the curious child and the implicit answers from Santa, while keeping the general mystery of Santa intact. Each question that is posed is answered, not in text, but in the whimsy of the illustrations. Look carefully and you’ll see that Santa is listening to every question and leaving answers to be interpreted by the reader.
For young readers – learning to read or with early reading skills – the illustrations and text are easy to follow, whether the children enjoy the book independently or have it read to them. For older readers, the fanciful meeting between Santa and a fan entices the reader to ponder on more questions and wonder more about Santa, adding to the mystery and magic of the jolly man during the Christmas season. There is a gentle rhyming to the text, however it’s not exactly rhythmic, as the reader tends to linger on the page to observe the illustrations, thus breaking up the potential lyrical flow. But this doesn’t have an impact on the reading experience, as the text also encourages the reader to hover on the page to contemplate the question posed and discover what Santa’s answer might be.
Jarvis is an award-winning author and illustrator. Mr Santa is another successful voyage into the imagination through language and illustrations, a skill that Jarvis has proven to excel at with his other children’s books such as The Boy with Flowers in His Hair and Thank You. Mr Santa is recommended for ages 3+, but is a delightful read for anyone who is curious about the man behind the red suit.
Reviewed by Lauren Harcombe
