Christmas at home by Claire Saxby
Ill. by Janine Dawson. Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760402952
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Christmas. Diversity. What a lot of
fun is to be had when the author and illustrator get together to
make an Australian version of O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree.
The whole family gets together to decorate the tree, filling the
branches with baubles, and wrapping up presents. Christmas lights
are highlighted when the family goes on an excursion and drives past
houses that have huge Christmas lights decorating their gardens. A
stroll through the neighbourhood also shows the myriad of Christmas
lights in neighbours' gardens, with Santa on the roofs of houses and
toy kangaroos waving from the grass. All culminates in a shared
feast with relatives and neighbours bringing loads of food for the
Christmas lunch, everyone sharing presents and then home to bed
exhausted.
The narrative will have enormous appeal as children and adults will
be able to sing along with the story or could have fun making up
their own verses. The pages are filled with Christmas cheer, with a
warm and loving family, friends and neighbours gathering together to
rejoice in sharing during the festive season.
I love the illustrations by Janine Dawson. Each page is filled with
happy and diverse individuals all enjoying themselves so much and
children will be able to recognise the familiar traditions that have
evolved in Australia - the lights on houses, the long table set up
in the backyard and the children going to sleep in a tent on the hot
summer's night.
This heart-warming Aussie version of Christmas is sure to be welcome
in all libraries and classrooms.
Pat Pledger