Archive | December 2022

The Twelve Days of Christmas Island

Dec15

 

 

 

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas Island

The Twelve Days of Christmas Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas Island

Teresa Lagrange

A & U Children’s, 2022

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781761068041

Over 2600km north-west of Perth, Christmas Island is a tiny dot in the Indian Ocean, just 135 square km and most of that, national park.  This geographical isolation and its dense rainforests mean it is a sanctuary for plants, animals and birds with hundreds of species calling the tiny island home. There is so much more than the red crabs we usually associate with the island.  

In this unique book which draws on the format of the traditional Christmas song, young readers are introduced to just a handful of those birds species, so very different to those they usually see on mainland Australia. From the bright-red plumage of the Frigatebird to the iridescent green of the Emerald Dove, these rare and special birds are depicted with brief notes about each species, the lilly pilly tree in which they gather and the island itself complete the pages making the complete package. 

If you’re looking for a Christmas book that is not the cardinals and robin redbreasts of the northern hemisphere, or even those in the song, this one is special. 

 

The Robin and the Reindeer

Dec14
The Robin and the Reindeer

The Robin and the Reindeer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Robin and the Reindeer

Rosa Bailey

Carmen Saldana

Hodder Children’s, 2021

96pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781444956542

The wintery white landscape is a wonderland for Little Reindeer who is learning about snow and cold for the first time.  So entranced is she by her surroundings that she doesn’t notice that the herd has moved on on its journey to the caves in the warmer south.  She is lost and the snow has already covered their tracks so she has no idea which way to go.  But she remains calm, remembers her mother’s words about digging a hole in the snow to keep warm and waits out the night.

Through the snowflakes that are still falling the next morning she catches a flash of red – curious because Leader told her all the birds had also travelled south – and a robin with his scarlet breast appears.  Together, with the robin perched on Little reindeer’s nose like a beacon, they travel through the forest until…

This is a simple story beautifully told and illustrated in a muted palette that reflects the setting, making it a great choice for a calming read at the end of a boisterous session or day.  A cross between a picture book and a novel, it is ideal for those making that transition as it has the supports needed such as just a sentence or two on each page to maintain interest even though it is somewhat longer than a regular picture book. Just as Little Reindeer realises she is becoming “a real reindeer” when she sees her budding antlers, so readers will understand that they are becoming ‘real readers”. Just charming. 

 

The Twelve Dinosaurs of Christmas

Dec13

 

 

 

 

The Twelve Dinosaurs of Christmas

The Twelve Dinosaurs of Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Twelve Dinosaurs of Christmas

Evie Day

Liam Darcy

Orchard Books, 2022

32pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781408367919

On the first day of Christmas, my grandpa gave to me . . .
A Santasaurus and her dino baby!

Can there be anything better than a grandpa who understands your love of dinosaurs and instead of drummers drumming, lords a-leaping, golden rings and a partridge in a pear tree,  gives you dinosaurs for the Christmas countdown? 

Young dinosaur lovers will delight in this hilarious, colourful, action-packed twist on the traditional song as more and more dinosaurs – some familiar, some not-so, are added to the little girl’s collection.  And with this week’s news that Queensland Museum Network palaeontologists have excavated Australia’s first head and associated body of a 100-million-year-old long-necked marine reptile in what has been described as the Rosetta Stone of marine reptile palaeontology, the continuing fascination with these ancient creatures is going to peak again, making this book such a fun read for the enthusiasts – perhaps even offering them some new species to investigate or imagining the problems such gifts might cause…  It’s amazing what something that starts as just a bit of light entertainment can lead to.  

The Christmas Pig

Dec12

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Pig

The Christmas Pig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Pig

J. K. Rowling

Jim Field

Little, Brown 2021

312pp., hbk., RRP $A39.99

9781444964912

Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad – starting school, the break-up of his parents’ marriage, moving house, starting a new school, his mother’s remarriage, a new step-sister who is mean… Whenever there is change to be faced, DP is there for him and it doesn’t matter that he’s getting a bit grey and worn and has had surgery on his eyes because he has his own special smell and always knows exactly what is troubling Jack without even having to be told.

Until one Christmas Eve, something terrible happens – DP is lost. Fed up with step-sister Holly’s nastiness (but too young to understand she is fighting her own demons too), he responds by calling her a loser.  To a gymnastics champ who has just lost an important competition, that is a red rag to a bull and Holly throws his precious DP out the car window onto the motorway. Jack is devastated – even though Grandpa searches, DP is not found and all Jack can imagine is DP lost and alone in the dark, cold and wet.  He trashes his room in anger, and doesn’t want anything to do with the replacement Christmas Pig that Holly buys, throwing it into the corner. 

But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life… even toys. And when strange voices waken Jack he discovers that despite his treatment of it, the Christmas Pig has a daring plan: together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known…

J. K. Rowling’s name will forever be associated with the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter, and this story has all the charm and originality of those but for a younger audience.  It is a much simpler narrative style and many young readers will relate to the upheavals in Jack’s short life and his attachment to DP, the one constant in a turmoil of change.  I could hear myself reading it as either a bedtime story or as a class read-aloud, and that, to me, is the hallmark of something quite special.  Of the thousands of books I’ve read to children over the 50+ years I’ve been doing that, only a handful reach those heights.  So, definitely one to put in your teacher toolbox or on the parent’s shelf to become part of your Christmas Countdown. 

Yoshi and the Ocean

Dec11
Yoshi and the Ocean

Yoshi and the Ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yoshi and the Ocean

Lindsay Moore

HarperCollins, 2022

64pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780063060982

 

In 1997, a young loggerhead sea turtle was rescued from the ocean after an injury to her shell. The fishermen who rescued her named her Yoshi and took her to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa. She was rehabilitated there and grew stronger—and larger!—every day. She also became one of the most popular exhibits at the aquarium.

But Yoshi was changing – she was becoming restless and the call of the ocean and her faraway home became stronger and stronger. After twenty years in captivity, Yoshi was released back into the ocean, fitted with a tracking device. And so began a journey that was full of danger, beauty, adventure, mystery, discovery and surprise. Over 987 days and 24 862 miles (almost 40 000 km) , she navigated the Atlantic and Indian Oceans  back to the Shark Bay region of Western Australia! 

In 2019, Lindsay Moore told us of the journey of Sea Bear, the remarkable journey of a female polar bear, and now, amongst the gloom and doom messages of climate change and environmental disasters, comes another heart-warming, hope-giving story of the magic and mystery of Mother Nature.  Yoshi’s story is told in both lyrical text and exquisite watercolour paintings, with the lightest touches  on topics such as conservation, oceanography, natural selection, the food chain, currents, and geography. But it becomes more than just the story of a remarkable journey with maps, information and even how the satellites tracked her included in the final pages.  On October 28, 2020 Yoshi sent her last transmission and her amazing journey is summarised on this blog post , complete with photographs and links to other posts that not only tell Yoshi’s story in greater detail, but also those of others released from the sanctuary.

Yoshi was “a fantastic ocean ambassador” while at the aquarium and her journey captivated so many more than just those able to see her “in person”, and although her whereabouts are not known now, her carers and scientists believe she is at last at home. Another amazing story of animal migration…

If you have young, or not-so-young, readers with any sort of interest in turtles, or just the ocean and its incredible creatures, this is a must-have in any collection.  Inspire them to learn more, do more, and start their own life-changing journey!

Tjitji Lullaby

Dec10
Tjitji Lullaby

Tjitji Lullaby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tjitji Lullaby

Michael Ross

Zaachariaha Fielding

Lisa Kennedy

ABC Books, 2022

20pp., board book., RRP $A9.99

9781460715703

Tjitji – sleep is a present from a day that was gorgeous.

In the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara languages, tjitji  means child and the beautiful, lyrical words in this book make it the perfect finale for the bedtime read as the curtains are drawn on the day.  The stunning artwork features Mother Kangaroo and other animal mothers  settling their little ones as dusk creeps over the landscape, singing them to sleep as they prepare for the night with images of calm, peace, tranquility and safety painted in both the words and pictures.

As the anticipation towards a certain day in December grows, this is one that will  be ideal to soothe and quieten the excitement so that the child can have a restful night – just as all the animals in the bush are doing.

Little people can watch the Tjitji lullaby just after 7.25pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays on ABC Kids, or anytime on the  ABC Kids app or ABC iview, but to have it in book format so they can have it every night when it is the perfect time for them is such a bonus. Parents can learn more, including how to pronounce the words, here. 

 

Virtually Christmas

Dec9

 

 

 

 

Virtually Christmas

Virtually Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtually Christmas

David Baddiel

HarperCollins, 2022

256pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9780008334321

It used to be the most WONDERFUL time of the year, but for years Christmas has been taken over by Winterzone.

All the things that made Christmas special are gone: the human connection, the baubles passed down through generations, even the rubbish cracker jokes.

Instead, Christmas is run by robots, while 3D holograms of Santa Claus called Santavatars check if you’ve been naughty or nice – and on Christmas Eve, all of the presents are delivered by ZoneDrones instead of Santa’s reindeer!

But when they stumble on a curious clue, eleven-year-old Etta and her friend Monty find themselves thrown into a fight to bring back Christmas. Racing against time and against the might of Winterzone, they must find the real Santa – before the true meaning of the festive season is lost forever . . .

In some ways, our children are used to Christmas being virtual with travel restrictions meaning a lot of family get-togethers are being done online, and as a consequence, a lot of the long-held traditions and rituals have been let go.  So as well as being an engaging read for young independent readers with a unique-till-now theme, it is also an opportunity for them to reflect on the things that they would miss most about Christmas if they were taken away.  What are the things that their family does that make it a personalised experience, the things they will continue to do with their own children in years to come?  What have they taken for granted? What do they want to reinstate?

For many, Christmas is about family and making memories and there is a lot of effort put into making it a magical time but what do our children actually take on board?  And perpetuate? This is an entertaining story in itself, but with the capacity to encourage some great what-if thinking…

The Christmas Bum Book

Dec8

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Bum Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Bum Book

Kate Mayes

Andrew Joyner

ABC Books, 2022

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

When I was a kid, just after the days of the dinosaurs, we felt very risqué chanting “yum, yum, pig’s bum, makes good chewing gum” just out of the earshot of adults.  To be heard meant mouths washed out with soap, or a smacked bum.

Now, there are whole books written about bums and bottoms – a healthy way to make this anatomical feature as natural as it is for everyone.

So in this hilarious book “for anyone who has a bum” author and illustrator have taken a host of the concepts we associate with Christmas and applied them to posteriors amplifying that bums come in all sizes, shapes and colours. From the big, red-covered plumpness we associate with Santa to Dad’s glittery underpants, there are derrieres galore, each celebrating the fun and joy of Christmas – most welcome in this year of gloom and doom after years of gloom and doom and when adults seem hard-pressed to work up the enthusiasm for their kids’ celebrations. 

Bright and colourful and just good fun – this is one to put a smile on any… face!!!

 

We’re Going on a Sleigh Ride

Dec7

 

 

 

 

We're Going on a Sleigh Ride

We’re Going on a Sleigh Ride

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re Going on a Sleigh Ride

Martha Mumford

Cherie Zamazing

Bloomsbury, 2022

24pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781526632210

We’re going on a sleigh ride,
HO! HO! HO!
Can you find the hidden gifts?
Whoosh! Off we go!

This is one for the little ones who like lift-the-flap adventures as they are invited to climb aboard Santa’s sleigh and join the fun as four bunnies set off on a thrilling festive adventure. As they fly through the sky there are ten presents to find hidden under the flaps making it an action-packed treasure hunt in rhyme because they will need to watch out for the obstacles along the way – snowy clouds, church spires, flocks of flying geese – while still helping the sleigh back to the North Pole in time for Christmas!

It’s a companion to We’re Going on a Treasure Hunt, We’re Going on an Elf Chase and We’re Going on an Egg Hunt  so little ones will be delighted to see the familiar characters again and help them out. 

Meerkat Christmas

Dec6

 

 

 

 

Meerkat Christmas

Meerkat Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meerkat Christmas

Aura Parker

Puffin, 2022

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9780143777229

Hip Hooray! It’s Christmas Day!
Come on, Meerkats, let’s all play!
Jumping, leaping, up, up, up.
Meerkat pup on pup on pup!

The meerkats are back just in time for a crazy Christmas romp that has them building a meerkat Christmas tree – which is fine until someone sneezes.

As with its predecessor , this one is a fast-paced story in rhyme that will appeal to young readers as they explore the meerkat present factory on the endpages  – who needs elves? – and cheer them on as one by one they join the fun, consolidating number and counting skills on the way. 

Aura Parker is fast gaining a reputation among early childhood educator for her stories that are really appealing to our youngest readers, drawing on familiar, ordinary circumstances but adding a twist that take them  to the realm of entertainment (and a little bit of education) and this is no exception.  One for the little ones in your life.