The Brightest Christmas Star

The Brightest Christmas Star

Laura Motherway

Deb Hudson

Lothian Children’s, 2024

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

9780734423085 

Regardless of where you live, one of the universal symbols of Christmas is the star whether it is portrayed as a cardboard cutout or sparkly Christmas lights. Because stars are sky-beings, they can look down and see all sorts of things in all sorts of places, and so it is with this one as it rises in the night sky on Christmas Eve and peers down on the Australian landscape as families make their last minute preparations for The Big Day.

Whether it’s a game of beach cricket as dusk draws in, sitting on a pile of hay bales specially decorated for the occasion, singing carols in the street or any one of the myriad of other activities Australian families are involved in, this is a refreshing look at summertime Christmas that little ones will relate to as they recognise familiar scenes.  It’s an opportunity for them to share the special things their family does, the traditions handed down to them and which they will continue with their own children, as well as learning about how others might do things differently.  And as night finally falls over the continent, the star continues to shine brightly because it has a particularly special job to do to as it lights the way for a special visitor.

Described as “a heartwarming, contemporary lullaby for little ones”. this is a story in rhyme that celebrates the season with the strong thread of spending time with family and friends tying all the activities together, no matter what they might be.