Santa and the Sugar Glider by Alexa Moses

Illus. by Anil Tortop. Lothian Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780734419521.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Santa and the Sugar Glider is an appealing Christmas story written for younger children. Snap, the littlest glider in the rainforest, is longing to do something important but all the other animals mock him for being too small to achieve anything. They are surprised when a big red object wobbles across the sky and lands in the bush. The animals rush to have a look and find that it is Santa looking for a replacement reindeer for Comet who has sprained his ankle. He invites the animals to audition at sunset and Snap thinks this will his chance to shine. However the other animals are not very kind and Snap decides not to audition. Fortunately he saves Comet from eating some stinging leaves in a spectacular way and Santa chooses him.
Children will enjoy listening to this story of a little one finally being able to achieve something important. The detailed illustrations and the highlighted text showcasing verbs and important words as well as the colourful presentation will make this a popular read aloud for children. Themes: Christmas, Santa, Australian Animals.
Kathryn Beilby