Claire Saxby (text), Janine Dawson (illus), Christmas at Grandma’s Beach House, The Five Mile Press, September 2015, 24pp., $16.95, ISBN: 9781760065140
I love a parody especially if it’s done well and true to all of Claire Saxby’s books, this one is done extremely well.
Like The 12 days of Christmas, Christmas at Grandma’s Beach House counts down the days of Christmas by introducing us to a delightful narrator (a young girl) and everyone she knows, family and friends, as she describes their fun filled Christmas, beach holiday adventure.
Each page is abuzz with action, smiles and warm Aussie days and as the book progresses so too does the flurry of activity.
Being a poet Saxby understands the importance of using strong verbs with some of my favourites being:
Six sandy babies and Seven goggled cousins.
Dawson’s cartoon style fits the mood of the book perfectly. Her colours are bright and utilise a Christmas theme with lots of reds and greens on every page. And while this is obviously a very Australian Christmas, Dawson still includes some very traditional symbols such as mince pies and holy, and references to Santa and his reindeer which I think children will enjoy pointing out. It might also be fun for the children to try and add up exactly how many people end up at the beach.
I was reminded of the Richard Scarry books as I flipped through the pages – so much to discover with each subsequent telling. A great fun read that of course will also be sung.
Reviewed by Jackie Hosking