Resource Reviews Slinky Malinki Christmas Crackers By Lynley Dodd Puffin; RRP: $19.99 Board book A special, large format, board book gift edition of this hilarious story from Lynley Dodd’s bestselling Hairy Maclary and Friends series. It’s Christmas in Slinky Malinki’s house and the rapscallion, mischievous cat is most curious about the Christmas tree. With its reindeer, ribbons, baubles and bells, it’s too tempting a treat for Slinky not to investigate. So Slinky Malinki, with mischievous glee, creeps out from the shadows to climb up the tree . . . The perfect stocking filler for pre-schoolers and wonderful to read aloud. A Pūkeko in a Ponga Tree By Kingi M. Ihaka Illustrated by Dick Frizzell Picture Puffin; RRP: $25.00 Hardback This special hardback edition celebrates 40 years of Aotearoa New Zealand's Twelve Days of Christmas. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a pūkeko in a ponga tree. This gorgeously produced special edition includes play-along music notation and chords, as well as a QR code that takes you to the song video so everyone can sing along! A counting song from 1-12, it's a very suitable story for children 2-7 years. The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Father Christmas By Eric Carle Puffin; $15.99 Board book Join The Very Hungry Caterpillar as he visits the North Pole and helps Father Christmas get ready for his big night. He's got to wrap up warm, feed the reindeer and load presents onto the sleigh - all before the magic can begin! In a far-off frosty land where starlight fills the sky, a man with snow white hair has a twinkle in his eye. With its simple rhyming text, vivid artwork and fold-out festive surprise, this new story is filled with all the excitement and wonder of Christmas. Takahē Trouble By Sally Sutton Illustrated by Jenny Cooper Scholastic; RRP: $19.99 Paperback Takahē Trouble was inspired from a true story of two takehē escaping their predatorfree sanctuary at Tawharanui Regional Park. In this humorous version the two takehē decide to take a risk by escaping to go on an adventure, learning along the way that being adventurous is fun, but does have it risks. Both the lively text and illustrations will amuse young children as well as sharing information on the role of predator-free sanctuaries and the knowledge that takehē are a threatened species. For children 3+. December 2021 { 38 }
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