We Wish You a Ripper Christmas

Colin Buchanan & Greg Champion

Roland Harvey

Scholastic Australia, 2013

9781742837239

We wish you a ripper Christmas

A full-bore ripper Christmas,

A deadset ripper Christmas

And a snappy New Year!

There is something about Christmas in Australia that inspires authors and illustrators to take traditional, well-known northern hemisphere songs and put a unique Aussie twist on them.  We Wish You a Ripper Christmas, which belts along to the tune of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, is another example. Taken from the chorus of a previous song on their earlier book and CD Fair Dinkum Aussie Christmas the authors (aka Bucko and Champs) have created a new story that is perfect for sharing around the tree on Christmas Eve.

High above the farmhouse out in the bush, Santa Wombat is heading our way.  He has his list of who-wants-what in his hand to check it when out by the windmill, disaster strikes!  It flutters off on the breezes and without it no stockings can get stuffed.  Santa Wombat searches high and low for it while gangly emus play cricket with the red kangaroos and koalas hang tinsel and Christmas tree lights. Dingoes, galahs, even the possums are all part of the cast but the list is nowhere to be seen.  Then suddenly…

Accompanied by Roland Harvey’s iconic illustrations, this is a great romp through Australia’s countryside that will appeal to young and old alike.  With a CD included you just know that there will be a new version of the more familiar song being sung this year, particularly as it has a karaoke track.  Buchanan and Champion have been creating Christmas songs for Australian kids for a long time and this is a fantastic addition to the repertoire.