Malibu and the
Naughty Elf by Michelle Worthington, illustrated by Dave Atze
(Big Sky Publishing) PB RRP $14.9 ISBN 9781925520644
Reviewed
by Kate Simpson
Malibu and the
Naughty Elf is the Christmas-themed follow-on from The Three-Legged Kangaroo from Uluru. In
this new instalment, Santa and Mrs Clause have donned their cozzies and come to
spend Christmas in Australia with their friend Malibu the kangaroo. The elves
and the reindeer are enjoying the fun and sun on Bondi Beach, but one elf isn’t
happy. There is nothing that Bobby the elf likes about Christmas and while the
other elves are enjoying themselves, he is grouchy, miserable…and naughty. Soon
Santa is tearing his hair out and it is up to Malibu to figure out why Bobby is
spoiling Christmas for everyone.
Full
of surfing Santas, skateboarding reindeer and elves playing in the sand, Malibu and the Naughty Elf sets itself
up as a classic Christmas down-under tale and, certainly, there’s plenty to
satisfy on that front. The story itself, however, is less about Christmas and
more about the struggles of an elf trying to fit in and the unhappiness that
comes from pretending to be something you’re not. The illustrations by Dave
Atze are bold, colourful and packed with humour, surely a winning combination
for any pre-schooler.
With
Christmas just around the corner, Malibu
and the Naughty Elf is one to consider for the stocking.
