Fire Truck Santa

Nic McPickle

Nathaniel Eckstrom

A&U Children’s, 2021

32pp., hbk., RRP $A17.99

9781760526894

A Christmas tradition, all round this land,
from the city to the country, from the bush to the sand,
in a shiny red truck instead of a sleigh,
Santa sets out on his jolly old way.

Seeing Santa arrive in the community of a fire truck is not only a common site for our children, but is perhaps more familiar than his arrival on a sleigh, and given the events of recent summers, this is a wonderful tribute to all the firies who keep us safe, their families and their supporters.  But hopefully their fire trucks are more reliable than this old one which keeps conking out as Santa makes his way around the town.  But with the familiar Aussie ingenuity, the children get it going again until, on its very last stop, it stops altogether, never to go again.  What are the townsfolk going to do???

But in recognition of the way everyone – neighbours and friends, firies, park rangers, teachers, nurses and the kids themselves – have pulled together to keep the old one going, Santa has one last gift for the town…

Written to the rhythm of the Clement C. Moore poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, this is a story that will not only resonate with our children but also be appreciated by the adults who share it with them. For regardless of recent memories of Christmas, it is sure to touch something deep down and inspire a resolve to touch base with those childhood memories and make Christmas extra-special for the children this year, especially as restrictions ease. The illustrations are as lively as the text and should spark conversations about those Christmas customs that are uniquely Australian.

A great start to the 2021 Christmas Countdown.