#nic mcpickle

[booksandwords]

Fire Truck Santa by Nic McPickle. Illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom

Author: Nic McPickle Illustrator: Nathaniel Eckstrom Age Recommendation: Pre-School/Kinder Topic/ Theme: Christmas Traditions Setting: Country Australia

Rating: 5/5

This is such an adorable book. Combining an Australian tradition, the spirit of Christmas and slightly quirky but charming illustrations. The faces on the animals are just cute. There is some diversity in the children. Indigenous children, a child in a wheelchair both boys and girls of other varying tones and appearances that are common in Australia. Eckstrom's art is not exactly unique per se but perfectly suited to this fun style of book. I like the message it sends. That idea of giving back, of helping people out and togetherness at Chrismas. That tradition of gifting Santa cookies appears too. Honestly, it's a simple book. But would work so well as a read to in libraries or school or as a bedtime story during the holiday season. Total respect to the dedication too, to volunteers in the fire services.

On the cover of the edition I'm reading is the comment in a bauble "an Aussie Christmas tradition!". And it really, really is. Every Christmas, even during covid, members of various fire brigades around Australia drive around the streets greeting children and adults alike and giving gifts (usually in my area bags of lollies). This is just something that we do at Christmas, we don't have snow we have heat and sunshine. So rather than a sleigh, our Santa has a firetruck. This tradition doubles as fundraising for our much-deserving firefighters. They really do need it, they are underfunded at a state and federal level.