12 Dec Book Reviews: Books for gifts for littlies
We are always looking for books to ignite and encourage a love of books in kids.
Our suggestions for those littlies under 7 years can give you a guide for some interesting books to read aloud.
On The Hunt For Santa
by Leslie Gibbes, illus. by Steven Michael King, pub. HarperCollins Children’s Books, h/b RRP $24.99. Ages 3+
Neither the author nor the illustrator lives in the snowy north where the story starts, but you can feel the cold through the wonderful illustrations. Lots of falling snow, warm scarves and coats as three friends, Hare, Cat and Pig, armed with candy, pudding and honey, set off on a magical journey to get to Santa. The facial expression of the friends says it all as they trek over a rickety bridge across icy slopes and through the land of the hungry snow wolves. But where were they going? ‘To the door of a house with a mistletoe rack’ to see Santa, of course!
How To Make A Snowman –
Bunny & Bird Series (How to Hatch a Dragon, How to Be Invisible)
Written and illus. by Nick Bland. pub. HarperCollins Children’s Books, h/b RRP $24.99. Ages 3+
This series about Bunny & Bird is beautifully illustrated with detailed, colourful drawings on glossy paper. Bunny & Bird are friends in a wintery children’s playground in this book when bunny comes in from the forest with an unusual black round object. Bunny asks the question to Bird, “Look what I found’, and Bird tries to guess. It’s a magic hole, so unsurprisingly, strange animal friends and odd things appear out of the magic hole, ostensibly to help Bunny build a snowman.
To Stir With Love
by Kate Mildenhall, illus. by Jess Racklyeft, pub. Simon & Schuster Australia h/b RRP $24.99
Kate Mildenhall has provided a delicious story about a grandchild and her grandmother- a story wound around a tale of baking. It conjures up many generational memories with the grandmother’s well-loved family recipe book full of secrets and her ‘Grandma’s Everything Cake’. The ingredients are slowly added to the mixing bowl and baked. The simple watercolour illustrations are whimsically matched as the ingredients move from containers to the mixing bowl, including showing grandma’s old-style rotary hand beater and old sifter (‘that was my mum’s sifter, Grandma says.’ ). The complete recipe is included as well.
Where To Hide A Star
Written and illus. by Oliver Jeffers, pub. HarperCollins Children’s Books, h/b RRP $27.99. Ages 3+
Also see Meanwhile Back on Earth and What We’ll Build: Plans for Our Together Future.
Another beautiful book by Oliver Jeffers just in time for Christmas. His stories about The Boy always expand kids’ imaginations, and this one has a favourite penguin friend and a missing star. Radioing a martian for help (or a ride!), they search for the star, eventually arriving at the North Pole. Oliver’s books are always beautifully printed and have a dust jacket, so they are perfect as a gift.
The Glass Horse Of Venice
by Arnold Zable, illus. by Anita Lester, pub. Text Publishing, h/b RRP $ 27.99. Ages 3+
Set in Venice, a young girl, Claudia loves her city and especially the old glassblower and his shop she passes on her way to school. Her imagination brings alive the glass animals she sees in the shop window daily, descending from their shelves and spilling out over Venice. One day, the glassblower gives her a glass-winged horse, Pegasus, but his wings are broken off. Heavy rain and floods caused Claudia and her family to move away from the city she loved most. Her glass horse is packed away, all but forgotten. Then, one night, it comes to life, taking Claudia flying through the night sky, back to her beloved Venice.
The Hullabaloo About Elephant Poo
by Dee White, illus. by Christopher Nelson. HarperCollins Children’s Books, h/b RRP $24.99. Ages 3+
Who knew that elephant poo was so useful for all sorts of things like paper and cards, lighting and heating, and good coffee? This funny rhyming book is great for reading aloud, and the illustrations delightfully match the quirky story.
Costa’s Garden
by Costa Georgiadis, illus. Brenna Quinlan, HarperCollins Children’s Books, h/b RRP $24.99. Ages 4+
Love him or hate him, the ABC’s very hairy gardening guru, Costa Georgiadis, presents his love of flowers in all their different forms in this interesting botanical book for littlies.
It’s educational, as well as informative, for all ages. Flowers are looked at from many different angles, from their structure to their usefulness as food in the circle of life. The ink and watercolour illustrations are carefully matched to the information on each page as Costa implores everyone to look at flowers through our ‘nature goggles’.
Giinagay Juluum (Hello Mountains)
Written and illus. by Melissa Greenwood, HarperCollins Children’s Books, h/b RRP $24.99. Ages 1+
Melissa has brought her heritage and culture to her stories for littles through a collection of different stories melding her indigenous language and her love of the natural environment. Hello, Mountains is a family journey through mountains, looking at changes and the landscape and animals on the way. All her storybooks for small children are a wonderful outlet to show off her prestigious talent as an Indigenous artist. See also Giinagay Gaagal (Hello Ocean) and My Little Barlaagany (Sunshine)
Barney Gum Nut And Friends
Written and illus. by Tamsin Ainslie, pub. HarperCollins Children’s Books, h/b RRP $22.99. Ages 1+
Wonderfully intricate watercolour illustrations of Aussie animals are a highlight in this book about Barney Gumnut, the koala, and his friends who go on a picnic together in the Scribbly Gum forest.
