One Night

One Night by Penny Matthews, illustrated by Stephen Michael King (Omnibus Books)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74299-027-9

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Every Christmas Eve in many farmyards, animals come together to remember a very special night a long, long time ago.

One Night is a beautiful Christmas story told from the point of view of the animals who helped, supported and gathered around the manger the night Jesus was born.

‘The horses gave up their stall for her,’ says an old draught horse. ‘They stood on guard outside the stable door.’

It is lovely and soft in both words and pictures, the water colour illustrations instantly recognisable in Stephen Michael King’s unique style. The pictures show the animals in their surrounds and echo the calm atmosphere of the text. Words tell the story in simple language, making it feel very intimate, as if the reader were standing behind the barn door listening to the animals. ‘And if you go into a farmyard on Christmas Eve, at that magical moment just before midnight, perhaps you will hear them talking.’

This is a beautiful, gentle Christmas story for the very young without a hint of the materialism which weaves its way into many of the Christmas stories now. Preschool children will respond to and easily engage with the animals and their special duties. One Night is a perfect picture book to add to the Christmas reading list.

The Gift

The Gift by Penny Matthews, illustrated by Martin McKenna (Omnibus Books)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 978-1-545-86291-698-2
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

As Christmas approaches and all the special Christmas toys are being bought one by one, Brown Bear feels very plain sitting on the shelf in the toyshop. As he sits waiting with the crocodile, he gifts the only Christmassy thing he has, his ribbon, to his friend. When the crocodile is bought the next day, Brown Bear is alone and sad until finally on Christmas Eve, his wish is granted.

The Gift is a beautifully and simply told story filled with hope and expectation in the lead up to Christmas. It embodies the warmth and generosity of spirit which characterises Christmas and shows in a lovely way how insecurities can be overcome by love.

The text captures the rush of shoppers with, ‘worried faces’ and ‘long shopping lists’. It also brings out the friendship as well as the insecurities and anxieties of Brown Bear and the crocodile. All told in a soft and gentle manner.

The story is mirrored in the gorgeous and realistic illustrations. By not showing people’s faces, the focus is kept on the toys until the very last page. Here the baby is sleeping with Brown Bear, and here their relationship is highlighted.

This is a quiet Christmas story which will be welcomed in the frantic rush of December and I’m sure it will find its way into the hearts of young children.

Zizzy

Zizzy written by Penny Matthews, illustrated by Danny Snell (Omnibus Books for Scholastic Aust)
HB large format RRP $26.99
Recommended for 3+ years
Reviewed by Dawn Meredith

Having just recently watched, transfixed, some youtube videos of baby sloths I eagerly opened this book to read about Zizzy. Sloths are dreamy and slow and have the most appealing eyes. They bring out the mothering instinct in everyone, men included!

Zizzy lives in a lush rainforest and spends a lot of time hanging upside down, snoozing and dreaming. One day he sees a patch of blue in the distance and wonders what it is. A green parrot tells him it is the sea and the place where the sun rises. She insists that Zizzy should check it out, but Zizzy is daunted by the journey. Sloths don’t travel far. “You don’t know what you can do until you try,” says the bird and offers to show him the way.

It takes Zizzy a very long time to travel through the rainforest and finally to see the ocean. Sloths have weak spaghetti-like legs that don’t support their weight on the ground. Eventually Zizzy gets to sit on the sand of a vast beach and watch the sun come up. The world turns to gold and a thought crystalises in his head. He makes his way back to the rainforest where he dreams he can do absolutely anything, even fly through in the air - with frogs!

I love Snell’s illustrations. He has captured the essence of sloth features and his rendition of the rainforest is deep, dark and mysterious with comical touches. Armadillos watch Zizzy come down from his trees. A frog sits on his head as he snoozes. An anteater watches his progress to the edge of the rainforest. Zizzy is the cuddliest thing on the planet!

Dawn Meredith is a May Gibbs Fellow for 2010 and writes from the Blue Mountains. www.dawnmeredithauthor.blogpsot.com