That's not my Santa... but this is my book (That's Not My Santa - Fiona Watt)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	That's Not My Santa - Fiona Watt
Date:	10/09/09 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Different textures, bright colours, lovely christmasy theme, thick pages

Disadvantages: It's a christmas book so you probably wont want it out all year round

That's Not My Santa is a childrens book which is part of a series of award winning books by top childrens book publisher Usborne. Other books in the series include That's Not My Dinosaur, That's Not My Bunny, That's Not My Bear, That's Not My Monkey, That's Not My Car, That's Not My Dolly, That's Not My Dragon, That's Not My Plane, That's Not My Pirate, That's Not My Puppy and That's Not My Teddy - just to name a few (I think you get the idea!).

If you haven't already realised That's Not My Santa is a christmas themed book. Other christmas themed books in the Usborne Touch-Feely series include That's Not My Snowman, That's Not My Reindeer, That's Not My Penguin and That's Not My Angel.

That's Not My Santa is written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells and is designed for children 1+ years. The book was published in 2008 and it's RRP is £5.99, although if you shop around you can get it for less. It's currently on Amazon.co.uk for £4.99 and in WHSmith for £4.79.

The book is 10 pages long and starts on the front cover. The pages are nice and thick and made of wooden board. The pages are laminated so it is not as edible as a lot of childrens books (yes I said edible!). The dimensions are 160mm x 160mm. The book is unisex and is made with paper from a sustainable forest (according to the back page). Each page has a different texture on and bright colours which helps develop babies sensory skills. Each page has a different Santa on and starts with the same phrase ("That's not my Santa...") which babies and toddlers seem to really enjoy as it means they can join in and seem to get quite excited by.

Here is the lay out of the book:

Front page - That's not my Santa... his hat is too soft. Includes a picture of a smiley santa, surrounded by snowflakes with a red fluffy textured hat.

Page 1 and 2 - That's not my Santa... his sleigh is too sparkly. Includes a picture of reindeers pulling Santa along the night sky in his sleigh. Below is snow, trees and a snowman. The sleigh is gold, sparkly and foil textured.

Page 3 and 4 - That's not my Santa... his sack is too rough. Includes a picture of Santa holding a brown, rough textured (much like the rough side of velcro) sack over his shoulder.

Page 5 and 6 - That's not my Santa... his gloves are too fuzzy. Includes a picture of Santas hands reaching into a sackful of colourful and sparkly presents. His gloves are black and fuzzy textured (much like the soft side of velcro).

Page 7 and 8 - That's not my Santa... his boots are too squashy. Includes a picture of Santa disapering down a chimney with just his feet sticking out. In the background are rooftops and stars. His boots are black, smooth textured and have a leathery effect. They are quite 'squashy' but actually appear more squashy than they actually are.

Page 9 and 10 - That's my Santa! His beard is so fluffy. Includes a picture of a jolly looking Santa in his red hat and suit, with a very soft textured beard - almost like cotton wool (but tougher and more durable).

Luckily my 2 year old really enjoys books and reading. She has had this book since her first christmas and has enjoyed it from day one. Nowadays this is one of her favourite books, alongside a couple of others from the Usborne touchy-feely series. She loves feeling the textures and always joins in with the "That's not my Santa" part of the story, followed by a big laugh. It is great value for money and I think it will get another couple of years use. It can also prove a useful book for teaching youngsters about Santa and christmas.

The only downside is that the book is a christmas book which means you might not want it out all year round - I personally don't put our copy away, I just put it to the back of the bookshelf and move it foward nearer to December!

I recommend this book to anybody that has a 1-3 year old or as a nice little christmas present/stocking filler.

Summary: A perfect christmas book for babies and toddlers.