Kids’ Books Christmas Gift Guide
November 3, 2009 by Tania McCartney | 0 Comments
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Santa has books in the bag this year with a fantastic array of titles for kids. All kids love a rollicking read, and this comprehensive gladbag mix won’t disappoint.
AN AUSSIE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Kilmeny Niland
We have an enormous collection of Christmas books in our house and one of our favourites is An Aussie Night Before Christmas by Yvonne Morrison and illustrator Kilmeny Niland. It was with much excitement, then, that the daytime version ensued.
Niland has penned this book solo alongside her lovely, sunny illustrations that always include gorgeous unexpected detail – like the plastic Santa climbing a palm tree, the Christmas lights on the outdoor dunny, and Australian animal topiary trees.
In the style of Clement Clarke Moore’s timeless rhyme, the book tells the story of Santa, who lives in a beach shack along with his wife Sheila Claus, on the day before Christmas. With lovely colloquial Aussie language – roos, prezzies and brekkie – Santa’s day before Christmas not only involves a trip to the dunny but the massive task of rallying roos to pilot his sleigh. With helpers named Bruce, Stace, Daz and Tezza, and a belly full of lamingtons, Santa is soon ready to set off on his annual journey – delivering Christmas wonder to kids everywhere. Timeless.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
An Aussie Day Before Christmas, AU$15.99RRP hardcover, Scholastic Australia, ages 4+
OPEN FIRE by Charlie Carter
When Napoleon Augustus Smythe finds a mysterious note in the local library asking him to meet real life war heroes from the past, he can never imagine the astounding operations that lay in store. Operations you ask? That’s right – Operation Battle Book.
Wearing his special high tech ‘skin’ suit and equipped with all manner of cool, time-travelling devices, Napoleon (or agent ‘BB005’) opens his very first battle book which sends him screaming back to the past – to Spain in 1587 where he finds himself aboard the ship of the great Sir Francis Drake. His mission? to collect Drake’s DNA for the Warrior Gene Bank.
The first in this amazing series – Battle Boy: Spying on the Past – Carter’s books are designed specifically to engage reluctant readers and so feature large type and concise text that doesn’t compromise on a hightech vocabulary – perfect for cool dude boys in the primary school age range.
Younger competent readers will enjoy a reading challenge and older less competent readers will enjoy a totally rad storyline coupled with relatable text. The books also feature plenty of action-style illustrations and varying text type, making for a read that very dramatically combines history with cool. Education and entertainment? The perfect book, really.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
Battle Boy: Open Fire, AU$4.99RRP (special introductory price) Pan Macmillan, ages 6-10. Book two in the series, Red Devil Down (in search of the Red Baron) is out now. Destroy Troy and Blood Axe are due out on the 1st of December.
THE INFINITE MAGIC OF HORSES by Candida Baker
Have a pony lover in your house? Experienced horse-aholic Candida Baker has compiled a lovely collection of heart-warming, true horse stories from around the world, showcasing a deep love for all things equine. In the style of a gift book, this paperback is peppered with quotes and adages that will make any girl sigh.
The book features a beautifully designed layout older readers will appreciate, as well as lovely sepia photographs. Being short stories, younger readers will love dipping in and delighting in stories on race horses, ponies, farm horses, Shetlands, foals, even an Arab stallion.
One dollar from the sale of every book goes to Horse Rescue Australia, a registered charity which rehabilitates abused horses.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
The Infinite Magic of Horses, AU$19.99RRP, Allen & Unwin, ages 9+
FREESTYLE FOOTBALL STREET MOVES by Sean D’Arcy
Football maniacs (yes - even Dad and you, Soccer Mum) will certainly learn some cool moves in this funky tome, compiled with the soccer trickster in mind. By tricksters, I mean those extraordinarily talented people who can take a soccer ball and pretty much levitate the thing in mid-air.
Sean D’Arcy (author of Freestyle Football Tricks) is an experienced Australian freestyle footballer and was even an official entertainer at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, so he probably knows what he’s kicking about. This well-designed book features a mind-boggling assortment of moves that will not only impress the masses, but teach vital soccer ball handling skills.
The book is helpfully divided into ‘Nutmegs’, ‘Trick Passes’ and ‘Beat Moves’ (just in case you’re out of the loop, nutmegs are the ultimate street football move where the player passes the ball through a defendant’s legs and then keeps on running), and includes several types of each style. Clear colour photographs and graphics helps the reader get a grasp on concepts very easily, and regularly placed ‘Tips’ and ‘Common Problems’ will give kids a gold medal chance. Goal!!
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
Freestyle Football Street Moves, AU$22.99RRP, A&C Black, ages 8-16
ROBOT RIOT by Andy Griffiths
Griffiths has a talent for storytelling and humour that clearly explains his phenomenal worldwide success as a children’s author. In Robot Riot, part of the Schooling Around series, the author comes through again with the return of a great set of characters headed up by the irrepressible Henry McThrottle.
When new girl Roberta Flywheel joins Northwest Southeast Central School, Henry becomes suspicious when a series of events (no doubt given momentum by the diary he ‘accidentally’ reads) clearly reveal Roberta ain’t what she appears to be. Yes, all signs point to ‘robot’, and Henry takes it upon himself to not only convince his friends Roberta the Robot is a threat to all mankind, but that they must help Henry in his quest to save the school.
Kids will love this whacky tale, which builds nicely to a riotous ending that will even satisfy adults for a quick cup-of-tea read. Fabulous pace, kooky characters, delicious plot and lots of belly giggles.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
Robot Riot, AU$14.99RRP, Pan Macmillan, ages 9-12
ALLIE FINKLE’S RULES FOR GIRLS: STAGE FRIGHT by Meg Cabot
Tweens rejoice! Meg Cabot is back with the fourth in her series of sassy reads for girls about to depart kiddydom and enter biggirlhood.
I really enjoy Cabot’s writing style – spoken by the voice of her ten-year-old protagonist, Allie Finkle – a girl intent on making, and breaking, all the rules. Although the voice is fresh and youthful, the author doesn’t compromise a sophisticated and well-written vocabulary that older readers will also enjoy. Cabot also doesn’t hold back on the naughtiness, making for a fiction read that’s a little edgier than some of the spangled pink fluff targeted at young girls.
In Stage Fright, Allie and her friends vie for the role of Princess Penelope in the school’s new play – Princess Penelope and the Realm of Recycling. But when Allie is reluctantly cast as the evil stepmother, her upset and jealousy over missing out on the lead role manifests in a serious case of stage fright.
Can Allie overcome her fears and put on the performance of her life? Or will a turn of events really put her acting skills to the test? With wonderfully clever moralistic subtleties that will lift and inspire young readers (even as they don’t know it), Cabot once again breaks all the boring book rules and offers kids another chapter in her fun and fabulous genre.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Stage Fright, AU$14.99RRP Pan Macmillan, ages 9-12
SANTA CLAUS: THE MAGICAL WORLD OF FATHER CHRISTMAS by Rod Green
Remember the days when we called Santa ‘Father Christmas’. Not too long ago, that’s for sure. It’s also not too long ago that Santa saturation and adulation was a far less commercial thing. There was an inherent mystery and innocence about our connection with this most historical of creatures. Sadly, the fate of Father Christmas now seems to rest in how many DS games he can cram into his sack.
Santa Claus: The Magical World of Father Christmas brings back the whimsy and tradition of days gone by in this lovely picture book. Combining digitised photographs and computer illustrations, the book takes children on a journey into the past introducing the origins of Santa and taking a peek into his illustrious and very elusive world.
Santa started his incarnation as the Bishop of Myra in Turkey. A rich but generous man, he gave much of his fortune away to the poor, especially kids. Legend says he even dropped gold coins down the chimney of one poor family, and they landed in stockings hung by the fire to dry.
Kids will love taking a little trip to the North Pole to visit modern day Santa, his mail room, workshop and even his home. They’ll meet Mrs Claus, the elves and the reindeer, and will even learn about the man in red’s magic snowsuit and the inner workings of his sleigh. Just how does Santa travel around the world delivering presents in one night? Find out in this fun and very festive book.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
Santa Claus: The Magical World of Father Christmas, AU$14.99RRP, Allen & Unwin, ages 6+
OLD POSSUM’S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS by T.S. Eliot
So lovely when a classic is dusted off and brought out into the bright and shiny future to enchant our own children. Of course, T.S. Eliot is a world-renowned poet and playwright whose collection of light verse has been engagingly captured in this gorgeous hardcover book.
Illustrations by Axel Scheffler (children may recognise his work from Julia Donaldson’s books, among others) bring fun and whimsical visuals to this set of glorious poems, first published in 1939.
From the naming of cats (did you know a cat must be given three names?) through to pirate cats, theatre cats, mystery cats and a sordid pair named Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, these rollicking rhymes and character-filled pictures will enamor cat-lovers of all ages. And yes, dogs make an appearance or two. Lovely.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, AU$27.99RRP, hardcover and dust jacket, Faber, ages 6+
RILEY AND THE DANCING LION by Tania McCartney
Of course, it goes without saying that one of the best journeys you could take your children on this Christmas is to Hong Kong via my utterly fabulous new book Riley and the Dancing Lion: A journey around Hong Kong.
The second in my Riley travelogue series, kids and adults will have a ball trailing Riley, panda and dragon in their little red plane, as they scour Hong Kong in search of the traditional Chinese dancing lion found only at Chinese new year.
With brand new illustrations by awesome Australian artist, Kieron Pratt, kids will laugh out loud at a series of hilarious and beautifully detailed dancing lions, from rappers to tappers and synchronized swimmers – whilst simultanously taking them on a rollicking adventure around this magnificent city, showcased in a series of black and white photographs. Travel-loving mums, dads and kids will particularly enjoy this series… and that pretty much sums up all Aussie families, does it not?
YOU CAN BUY RILEY AND THE SLEEPING DRAGON ONLINE AT:
Australian Online Bookshop – AU$12.37
Riley and the Dancing Lion will be available from late November and you can get a signed copy at www.taniamccartney.com. From December, the book will be available at various online sellers and a bookstore near you. Riley and the Sleeping Dragon: A journey around Beijing is available now. Riley and the Curious Koala: A journey around Sydney is due for release late 2010.
Riley and the Dancing Lion, AU$16.99RRP, Tania McCartney, ages 0-8.
MADAME PAMPLEMOUSSE AND THE TIME-TRAVELLING CAFE by Rupert Kingfisher
When the young and curious Madeleine is abandoned by her parents, she befriends a curious group of enchanting characters including Monsieur Moutarde and Madame Pamplemousse – the greatest culinary genius the world has ever known.
Madame Pamplemousse (with means ‘grapefruit’ in French) owns a captivating café in the famed Montmartre district of Paris, alongside business partner Moutarde (‘mustard’). Here in this café lies a magnificent coffee machine capable of making an elixir that will transport Madeleine to other times – to Jurassic times, to Scotland in the 1930s, even to the time of the mighty Sphinx. But when Paris and its historic monuments are marked for descruction by a corrupt Parisian government, Madeleine could never imagine the mind-boggling adventures in store.
Accompanied by gorgeously retro ink illustrations by Sue Hellard, this book is a feat in extraordinary imagination. A truly wonderful tale, in the style of the fabulously historical and nonsensical stories of yore, it will absolutely delight any reader intent on taking an unexpected trip – to fanciful literary satisfaction. Wonderful stuff.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
Madame Pamplemousse and the Time-Travelling Café, AU$19.99RRP, hardcover and dust jacket, Bloomsbury, ages 9-12
TO THE TOP END: OUR TRIP ACROSS AUSTRALIA by Roland Harvey
Ooh – I love a good travel book and this hardcover picture book by esteemed Aussie illustrator Roland Harvey, takes kids on an absolutely delectable lollop across our wide brown land from Tasmania, across Bass Straight, through the High Plains, via the Riverland, into the Flinders Ranges and over the great deserts of middle Australia.
Readers visit an incredible cacophony of famous desert landmarks before taking a cool dip at the Great Barrier Reef and its stunning islands, then continuing on to the lush rainforest and coastal marshes of the Top End.
With glorious, scattered, kid-like prose and featuring absolutely stunning and eye-swamping illustrations and the most deliciously curly text, wrapping its way around rivers, mountains and rocks – I have to say this is one of my favourite books to appear on the market in recent times. Funny, detailed, packed with wonderful Aussie flora and fauna, I dare any Australian to read this book without puffing their chests out in home-grown pride. An Aussie must-own.
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:
To the Top End: Our Trip Across Australia, AU$24.99RRP, hardcover, Allen & Unwin, ages 6-10
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