Today I am sharing two brilliant books illustrated by Genevieve Godbout.
Esther noticed straight away that the two books shared an illustrator because of the dreamy style of the pictures and the characters’ rosy cheeks and black button eyes.
The Toys’ Christmas an enchanting tale of Christmas magic and When Santa Was A Baby, a brilliant board book that shows what Father Christmas’ childhood might have been like. This is an old favourite here filled with love and gentle humour.
Santa was a bonny baby and his parents knew from the start he was special. With his booming voice and his love of all things red, his love of giving gifts to friends and family and an early fascination with reindeer. As Santa grows we see more and more behaviours and characteristics that make it clear for little readers to see who this lovely little boy will grow to be.
One of our favourite scenes is when young Santa trains a team of baby hamsters to pull a matchbox sleigh. He calls all eight of them by name!
It makes us chuckle to see Santa’s odd interest in chimneys and how he stands naked in front of the fridge to keep cool!
With a belly like a bowl full of jelly and a hearty Ho Ho Ho, teenage Santa is becoming more and more like the Father Christmas we all know and adore.
And the end of this story is one that we all know well and love to tell and retell.
“Santa grew up and moved to the North Pole. He built a workshop where he and his elves could make toys. He got a big, beautiful sleigh and trained eight reindeer to pull it. And once a year, he travels around the world, climbing down chimneys to leave gifts for boys and girls.”
Oh I am so unbelievably excited for Christmas!
We love the vintage styling of both books. They fill our hearts with warmth and celebrate the awe and wonder of the festive season. Perfect books for little dreamers and for those of us who believe wholeheartedly in the magic of Christmas.
Here is a reminder of The Toys’ Christmas