My Favourite Children’s Christmas Books
As a member of the Society of Women Writers Victoria (SWWV) I was a participant in the final event of the year – a Zoom event titled ‘Literary Christmas Cheer with Charles Dickens and Friends. The evening opened with a wonderful talk by Lucinda Hawksley, a great great great granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Lucinda talked of the five Christmas books Dickens wrote. Many would be familiar with his best known ‘A Christmas Carol’, but are unaware of the other four. They are now on my Kindle to be read over the coming months.
Members then talked about or read from their favourite Christmas books. I had chosen three children’s books. With a background in the early childhood field I believe in the simplicity of children’s literature deeper truths about people and society is often revealed.
‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ (illustrated by John McIntosh, written by June Williams) requires a healthy sense of the ridiculous. ‘On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me/an emu up a gum tree’ – various animals of the Australian bush attempt to wake up a sleeping Dave so he may assist the ’emu up a gum tree’. The illustrations supported by words make you laugh. But the story is about friends helping one another, being there when things go wrong, as it has for ’emu up a gum tree’. The story has a happy ending and Dave has a wonderful array of new found friends.
‘Wombat Divine’ (written by Mem Fox, illustrated by Kerry Argent) reminds me of my teaching days and the dilemma of who would play the various roles in the expected and accepted nativity play for the end-of- year Christmas party. Poor wombat misses out on every role he auditions for, but his friends never make fun of him. Eventually, Bilby realizes there is no Baby Jesus. How could they have a Nativity without Baby Jesus? Wombat, the wrong shape, the wrong personality for all the other parts plays a sleeping baby perfectly.
‘Long ago in Bethlehem’ by Masahiro Kasuya is possibly my favourite children’s Christmas book. The wording, so simply written for young children speaks equally well to adult or child, placing the story in the context of its time, ‘they had to walk because there were no cars or trains or aeroplanes’. The pictures are almost in a coloured fog with characters small and vague as though viewed from a vast distance, familiar yet not definite, giving the impression of a separation in time and place yet drawing the reader in to focus on the characters living the story on slightly textured pages. It is a beautiful book for adults to savour the reality of the story of Jesus’ birth. It is a beautiful book for children to savour the characters and sequence of the story of Jesus’ birth undistracted by busy illustrations. The illustrations and words provide the basis of the story, leaving much to the imagination of adult and child.
A delightful evening of memories and stories to conclude the SWWV year and in the lead-up to Christmas.