Possum's Big Surprise

Possum's Big Surprise by Colin Buchanan and Nina Rycroft (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 978-1-742839271

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Flossy the Possum is trying to get home as fast as she can. But other bush creatures keep surprising her along the way. Undeterred, Flossy keeps going until she reaches home, where the biggest surprise of all is waiting for her.

Possum's Big Surprise is uplifting and fun. The text is constructed to create a wonderful build up to the big surprise at the end and has a rollicking rhythm which just begs to be read aloud.

'Off in a flash and a tumble of grey,

Flossy the Possum was up and away!

She dashed past the wattle, golden and green,

Flossy the Possum ran nimble and keen.'

The illustrations have a sense of movement which echoes the rhyme; the pictures and words working beautifully together to bring the story to the reader. The artist has created lovely Aussie animal characters and an observant reader will notice clues along the way to the end surprise.

Young children will take great delight in the 'eye spy' element of this book. The repetitive nature of the story, along with the rhythm and illustrations will keep them coming back again and again. 

We Wish You A Ripper Christmas

We Wish You A Ripper Christmas [with CD] by Colin Buchanan & Greg Champion, illustrated by Roland Harvey (Scholastic Australia)
HB RRP $19.99
ISBN 978-1-74283-723-9
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

We Wish You A Ripper Christmas is a fun Aussie take on the popular Christmas song . This entertaining picture book tells the story of Santa Wombat searching for his missing Christmas list:

    He searched for his list
    On that hot summer night,
    While koalas hung tinsel
    And Christmas tree lights.

Harvey’s illustrations are well loved for their unique Australian flavour as well as for their humour and fabulous Aussie animals. This book is no exception. Soft watercolours illustrate the bush setting of this Christmas story with wonderful detail bringing out the great character of the animals and their surroundings.

The words fit so well into the tune of We Wish You a Merry Christmas that it is a joy to read/sing aloud. The added bonus of the CD, sung by author Colin Buchanan, means everyone can sing along. This picture book would make a happy addition to any Aussie Christmas book collection:

    We wish you a ripper Christmas
    A full-bore ripper Christmas
    A deadest rip ripper Christmas 
    And a snappy new year!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas by Colin Buchanan, illustrated by Glen Singleton (Scholastic Australia)
HB RRP $19.99
ISBN 978-1-74283-367-5
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Over the years there have been many versions of the Christmas classic Twelve Days of Christmas and this is a really enjoyable addition to that assortment.

Beginning with a platypus up a gum tree, the countdown to Christmas is filled with iconic Aussie images such as footy fans, rusty Utes, cricket legends and meat trays.

The bright, cheerful illustrations enhance the fun and frivolity of the text, and indeed of Christmas itself, and bold clear colours impress summer on every page. Along with the heat, unique traditions of an Aussie Christmas come through strongly in the pictures of the backyard barbeques, cricket games, cheeky chooks and meat tray raffle. Everyone, people and animals, are having a fantastic Christmas. We’d all love a ‘best mate’ who could help provide this.

Included with the book is a sing along CD, complete with wobble board, performed entertainingly by Colin Buchanan. There is also an instrumental version for the adventurous souls.

Out in time for Christmas, this delightful book is aimed at pre-schoolers, but I think its appeal will stretch upwards many many years. And get ready to sing...

On the first day of Christmas, my best mate gave to me...
A platypus up a gum tree.