On the Hunt for Santa 

By Lesley Gibbes and Stephen Michael King 

Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray

‘Tis the season for the latest round of holiday picture books to appear. It’s hard for creators to do anything truly fresh in this thematic space, but On the Hunt for Santa succeeds in blending lots of familiar festive elements into a joyful new story with messages of bravery and persistence.

Once upon a snowy day, three friends set out on a journey. Hare with a honey pot, Cat with a candy cane, Pig with a plum pudding.

And where are they going? It’s a mystery. But to get there they must go over ice and snow, past the troll under the bridge, away from the howling wolves, all the way to a very special house, to give their gifts to a very jolly bloke. This is lighthearted fun for younger readers, with sneaky visual extras on every page. There are echoes of We’re Going On A Bear Hunt and the history of storybook trios (The Billy Goats Gruff) as the journey pushes on with enticing page turns.

Did they give up? Of course they didn’t!

The language is rich with a variety of devices, such as rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopeia that’s well-placed across surprise spreads that will work a treat in read alouds. But it adds these language features without becoming a ‘rhyming book’ which makes the reading more interesting and the spreads more challenging (in a good way). The three characters have no dialogue, but have distinctive personalities thanks to delightful illustrations that show the intrepid travellers increasingly bedraggled as they reach their goal.

So yes, it is just-another-Christmas-book, but it’s also cleverly written, visually exciting, and as sweet as the trio’s generous gifts.

Working Title Press AU , 2024

Lesley Gibbes

Stephen Michael King 

Lara Cain Gray is the author of the recently published The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books.