In this original tale set in Kenya, an old man named Juma recounts the story of a special Christmas when he was ten. His rich aunt Aida came to visit and promised to help her nephew fulfill his Christmas wish to see Father Christmas in person. She provides a red Father Christmas costume and Juma is to arrange for a man to wear the costume and ride through the village on an elephant. The celebration takes place as planned, but in the surprising conclusion, the man who was to wear the suit shows up to apologize for missing the event. The villagers look up, stunned, to see a huge elephant crossing the sky with Father Christmas on his back. The well-crafted story has the ring of a folktale, and the clever twist of the real Father Christmas’s appearance will delight children as they discover his true identity. The stunning illustrations employ bold swatches of color against dark backgrounds with a variety of textures and underlaid patterns. Includes a glossary of terms. (Picture book. 4-8)
