Aura Parker, Meerkat Christmas, Penguin Random House Australia, October 2022, 32 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780143777229
On Christmas Day, ten little meerkats start climbing on top of each other to build a tower, but Careful, Meerkats, don’t you fall. But someone will make them CRASH!
Aura Parker has written and illustrated a beautiful Christmas story that begs to be read aloud. It is filled with colourful illustrations that beautifully accompany the cheerful rhymes. While the words might not focus on it, the presentation of some Christmas elements like crackers, reindeer, stockings, and tinsel make Meerkat Christmas a great book for the lead-up to the jolly season.
I would recommend spending some time looking at the endpapers. The wonderfully detailed illustrations present an opportunity to extend the story and learn more about the characters’ lives.
This book is recommended for early childhood readers.
Parker’s previous Meerkat story Meerkat Splash was a CBCA Notable in 2020 in the Early Childhood category.
Reviewed by Erica Gongora
