Was That Christmas? — Hilary McKay

At preschool Bella learns all about Christmas -- that Santa Claus will come in his sleigh pulled over the snow by his reindeer. And he will bring a huge brown sack full of presents. Bella tells her beloved cat, Black Jack, about it when she gets home. But when Santa actually comes to her preschool, Bella is bitterly disappointed. He doesn't seem to be the real thing at all -- no sleigh, no snow, no reindeer, and, worst of all, no present for Black Jack in his huge brown sack. "Was that Christmas?" Bella sobs to her mother on the way home from the school party. So Bella's family has to show her all the things that still have to be done before it is really Christmas, like baking mince pies, buying presents for her mother and father, icing the cake, and getting the Christmas tree. This is a delightful story for small children about all the wonderful things that make Christmas so special, told and illustrated by an award-winning author-and-artist team.