I Wish Santa Would Come By Helicopter – An Abysmal Preschool Book

Rather than expanding the mind, or growing the imagination, this book numbs the brain. The flat, unattractive art style, that feels like a mockbuster version of Charlie and Lola, really doesn’t do it any favours.

Let’s start with the title. It sounds more like something for Middle Grade material. Possibly a comedy adventure with Father Christmas trying out different modes of transport, failing more spectacularly with each. Someone write that. And lets no forget that many people get books through a library website, so you may not see the size and thickness of the book in advance.

This title is unspecific and lazy. It is just a line from the book with no context. Even putting “Mum,” at the beginning would at least indicate genre and target audience more. Think of titles like “Jump, Frog, Jump” and “Goodnight Moon”.

This book is a whole load of nothing. It is like a cross between a morality lesson (with no morals), and a regular book for this age group. It has no direction, and no story. No reason to exist. It is pointless and boring. The impression you get is that someone has read some preschool books and decided on a whim to write one, failing to understand anything about them.

Seriously, what is the point in a book where some kid just says stuff like he wishes Father Christmas could come to dinner and his do-gooder mother gives so-called clever answers – spectacularly missing the point – then rinse and repeat.

Even bad parenting aside, this is not funny, educational, or entertaining in any way. There is no use or place for it.