Christmas picture books
How wonderful to see books celebrating Christmas as we know it in Australia. The ‘Teeny Tiny Stevies’ are back with a new picture book, all about Aussie summer Christmases.
Snowmen, chimneys, plum puddings and dark wintry evenings are all charming, but not part of an Australian Christmas.
Instead, we have hot days in the sun, the long summer holiday, shorts, T-shirts and swimmers in the paddling pool or the beach, the buzz of cicadas and the sting of mozzie bites, pavlova for Christmas lunch.
The pictures by Simon Howe capture the pleasures of long hot days, camping trips, the anticipation of Christmas morning.
I love this book; it is a real portrayal of an Australian summer and our different way of ‘doing Christmas’ here.
Back to the northern hemisphere, we have A Night Before Christmas – with a difference.
A small boy, accompanied by his dog and cat, is witness to the antics of the Elf on the Shelf, who narrates the familiar story of the arrival of St Nicholas with his sleigh and trusty reindeer.
There is a mix of old and new as the much-loved Christmas poem is given a shake up by the elf. The pictures created by author and illustrator Chanda A. Bell are vibrant with saturation colours and plenty of activity.
Together these two books celebrate Christmas in both hemispheres of the globe. They are published in Sept and Oct 2023 by Harper Collins Children’s Books.
My thanks to the publishers for review copies.Celebrations: two new picture books for special days
These two picture books celebrate special days on children’s calendars: Father’s Day and Christmas.
What My Daddy Loves is a sweet and tender portrayal of the special love between father and child.
Each double page spread portrays a daddy and his child engaged in all the magical, wild and everyday activities that a small child can imagine.
The simple text invites repetition while the colourful block pictures by author and artist Raissa Figueroa wryly illustrate the scenes.
The dads and kids represent a wide variety of shapes, sizes, abilities and interests, and it is notable that they are all people of colour.
What My Daddy Loves is published in August 2023 by HarperCollins Children’s Books; a good choice for a read-aloud on Father’s Day.How the Grinch Lost Christmas is a follow-up to the much-loved classic by Dr Seuss, The Grinch who Stole Christmas. Written in the inimitable style of Dr Seuss by Alistair Heim, with illustrations by Aristides Ruiz, it portrays a reformed Grinch who has grown to love Christmas.
To show the Whos just how much he has changed, he decides to enter a competition to make the most Christmassy Christmas tree. But when his grand entry takes only second place, he suddenly loses his Christmas spirit.
It takes a small girl to get the Grinch to re-think and to remember what is the real spirit of Christmas.
A delightful story about sharing, playing fair and togetherness, The Grinch Who Lost Christmas is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in September 2023.
My thanks to the publishers for review copies of these books.
