Socks: A Kid's Christmas Lament

Rock and roller JD McPherson’s comical salute to Christmas curmudgeons hops from stage to page, making for the stocking stuffer of the season.

This is the worst gift I ever got!
It doesn’t beep or buzz or bop or rattle in the box!
Why’d they waste the paper on a lousy pair of SOCKS?

It’s the dawn of Christmas morning, and this child can no longer wait, furtively tiptoeing straight to the unlit Christmas tree. There lies a festive box, brightly wrapped, with their name on it. A shake for good measure, and then . . . wait, seriously? What did they ever do to deserve this? Based on the cult classic “Socks” (from his eponymous Christmas album), bluesy rock and roller JD McPherson pays hilarious homage to a stereotypically bad gift—and its disappointed recipients—in a deftly extended picture-book version of his song. Brought to energetic life in droll, retro artwork by Anika Orrock, who illustrated the album cover and liner, Socks will prove a perfect fit for anyone who has ever gotten stressed over holiday gift-giving—and everyone, big or small, who’s come to appreciate the love wrapped up in even the humblest present. Includes a QR code to the “Socks” song.

JD McPherson is an acclaimed roots rocker and songwriter whose Christmas album, Socks, was dubbed by Rolling Stone a “no schmaltz” classic. This is his picture-book debut. JD McPherson lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Anika Orrock is an award-winning illustrator, author, and cartoonist. Her work has been featured on NPR and in the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, and the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition. She also proudly created the illustrations for Socks, the original 2018 Christmas album by JD McPherson and his band. Anika Orrock loves Christmastime and will cross any street to pet a dog. She lives in Nashville.