Christmas Magic by Margaret Wild illustrated by Craig Smith

 

This is another older Christmas book and it is Australian which is great but sadly it is also out of print. I was amazed to find this book. I had not seen this book from 1992 even though by then I had worked in several school libraries for over eight years.  I found this book in a library a couple of weeks ago. It is by two of our most wonderful book people from here in Australia - Margaret Wild and Craig Smith (Black Dog; My Dog's a Scaredy Cat).

Tom and his family used to live on a farm. I love that Margaret Wild does not tell us why they have moved to a city and now live in the suburbs.  With an older child I think after read the opening scene in this book I might be tempted to grab a copy of Farm Kid by Sherryl Clark.

Tom desperately misses the farm where he lived with mum, dad, sister Jess and baby brother Ben. "He especially misses the animals".

Tom is not enthusiastic about Christmas this year. He doesn't want to decorate the tree or help with the cards or mince pies. His sister suggests they dress up and make a nativity. Baby Ben can sit in his pram and take the part of the baby Jesus. But the Nativity story involves animals and Tom just cannot see how they can make a Nativity without cows and horses and sheep and pigs and ducks. Tom's dog, named Dog, tries to help but he is only one dog.

Late that night, on Christmas Eve, Tom and his friend Dog sit beside the window. It is midnight and Tom knows magic can happen at Christmas so he makes a wish. They look outside again and something wonderful happens. The grass grows long and they hear sounds - moo, neigh, baa, oink, quack and cluck. It is a night filled with magic. Tom gathers his sister and brother and the children all sit together on the window ledge. Outside they see the Nativity just as it should be with animals, Mary, Joseph, the baby and the wise me too. You can see this scene on the book cover.  On Christmas Day Tom tells his parents about the magic he and his siblings witnessed last night. Mum and Dad don't believe any of the story but Tom has something wonderful in his pocket (rather like the bell that Harvey Slumfenburger finds in his pocket) - two feathers and a tuft of wool. He plans to keep these forever!

Picture Book Month Day 25

For this post I have selected a book by Margaret Wild. Margaret is one of our most prolific Australian authors and, like Margaret Mahy who I selected previously, Margaret Wild's books contain a huge variety of stories and they showcase lots of different and famous illustrators.  How can I pick one book by Margaret Wild?  

Every year in my library I read Let the Celebrations Begin (Grade 6); Something absolutely Enormous (Kindergarten); Little Humpty (Kindergarten); Puffling (Kindergarten); Mr Nicks Knitting (Grade 1); Lucy Goosey (Kindergarten); Robber Girl (Grade 4); and my focus book today - Miss Lilly's Fabulous Pink Feather Boa (Grade 2). I have also enjoyed reading Tanglewood (Grades 4-6); Fox (Grade 5); and The Stone Lion (Grades 3 and 4).

Here are some illustrators who have worked on books by Margaret Wild (there are lots more): Ann James; Julie Vivas; Kerry Argent; Stephen Michael King; David Legge; Donna Rawlins; Noela Young; Ron Brooks; Freya Blackwood; Kim Gamble; and Gregory Rogers.

I love the emotional honesty in Miss Lily's fabulous Pink Feather Boa. The Last Potoroo knows she has done something truly dreadful but she also knows it is important to say sorry to her beloved Miss Lily. When we read this book in our library we had a large pink feather boa which the children could touch and handle. 

My favourite lines are:

"I can't take this,' she whispered. 'I did something dreadful. I wanted the boa so much that I stole a bit of it.' 'I know,' said Miss Lily softly. They hugged each other, hard."

Margaret Wild is such a wordsmith. Picture books contain so few words and this makes word placement and word choice even more important in the best picture books. The two important words in this quote - words which add drama, emotion and poignancy - are 'softly' and 'hard'. Go back now and read the quote again without these words and then with them.

Here is an audio sample from Miss Lily's fabulous Pink feather Boa. Do click the link because this sample is 9 minutes and so it is actually the whole book.  This book was first published in 1998 but I am so happy to see it is still available.  My own copy is signed by Margaret herself!

Now think about the illustrations in this book.  I marvel that illustrators are sent the text of a book, possibly on one sheet of paper, and then the illustrator takes the words and adds another, often amazing and unstated, layer.  If you just saw the text for this book would you have thought Miss Lily was a crocodile!

 Here are some other equally wonderful books illustrated by Kerry Argent:

Space Travellers by Margaret Wild illustrated by Gregory Rogers

Let's imagine you cannot see the illustrations in this book. Here is the first part of this text:

Lately Zac and his mother, Mandy, have been sleeping in a rocket.

What might you assume from this?
Lately - does this mean something has changed? Why?
Sleeping in a rocket? Is this just a flight of their imagination?

Moving on into the next page:

Every evening, at sunset, Zac and Mandy climb up into the rocket, unroll their sleeping-bags, and switch on the torch. Mandy pours the milk and slices the cheese, while Zac butters the bread.

This does not sound like a fantasy story. Zac and his mum seem to be settling down to sleep in this 'rocket'? But where is this happening and why?

The rocket is in a park. We used to have these as a part of playgrounds for Australian children until they were deemed unsafe.

Image source Flickr

We're lucky to sleep in a rocket ... and Mandy tries to smile. She's all scrunched up and her neck aches and the nights are getting colder.

If readers were still not sure what is going on here I think the word scrunched really demonstrates that the mother and son are living outside - not in a real home. They are homeless.  As the story continues we read that Zac and Mandy have made friends with other homeless people. They share food and shelter.  Eventually we discover Zac and Mandy can move into a share home but their friend Dorothy continues to be homeless and while she is happy to move into their rocket, as in real life, it is clear this is not a solution to her homelessness.

This is amazing book which, though sadly out of print, should be found in many Australian school libraries. Reading this book with a group of older students should generate a lot of very deep discussion.

The social-issue subtext here is subtly hidden in the details; the focus is on the humanity of Zac and his mother. Kirkus

This unusual picture book, a portrait of an urban homeless community, features a loving mother and son whose only misfortune is to be socially displaced. Publisher’s Weekly


I would pair this book with these titles:

The Old Man

An older student should read Paper Things.

Congratulations to Margaret Wild

Congratulations to Margaret Wild

Margaret Wild is one of Australia's most highly respected picture-book creators. She has published over seventy books for young people which have been translated, read and loved across the world. 

Her work explores themes such as identity, death, homelessness, friendship and bullying - through nuanced characters and captivating stories. Her seminal work, Fox, illustrated by Ron Brooks, was considered an Australian Classic the moment it was published. It won the CBCA book of the year, the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards for a Children's Book as well as Germany’s most prestigious prize for children’s literature in 2004. Australia Council 

Margaret Wild is the author of so many books which I love to share with children of all ages. As a bonus her splendid writing has allowed many talented illustrators here in Australia to really shine. You may recognise some famous names such as Julie Vivas, Ann James, Ron Brooks, Gregory Rogers, Freya Blackwood, Kerry Argent, Noela Young, Deborah Niland, Donna Rawlins and Kim Gamble.

Here are just a few books to highlight the range of Margaret's writing for different ages and which show her very different themes.

Something Absolutely Enormous is one of Margaret's earliest books. It is so beautifully structured. An astute reader might predict exactly how this enormous knitted creation might actually become quite useful when the circus big top tent is destroyed in a fire.  The repeated text makes the book fun to read aloud and the twist on the last page is sure to bring a smile.

Little Humpty is such fun to read aloud. Every child has asked that all important question "are we there yet?" The language in this book is exquisite and again the repetition gives a perfect pace to the story. I especially love the relationship between Big Humpty and Little Humpty.

Puffling is one my most favourite books of all time! After reading this book aloud for many years I was able to travel to Fair Isle in Scotland to see puffins. The story arc for Puffling is perfect. Our new baby asks three important questions - Am I strong enough, Am I tall enough, Am I brave enough. Over the months he grows and eventually he can leave the burrow. Julie Vivas perfectly captures every emotional moment.

Lucy Goosey is also a book I love to read aloud every year. I amazed myself to discover I had not talked in depth about this book on this blog. Lucy is very frightened of change but her mother and the other geese need to head off on their migration flight. Lucy hides and everyone leaves but in a beautiful moment of love her mother returns and asks Lucy to explain her fears. Once she is reassured all will be well Lucy feels able to set off with her mother into the wide blue sky.

Tom goes to Kindergarten is such fun. Mum and Dad have a great day at preschool. They enjoy it so much they want to return for anther day of fun. Our little panada hero has to be firm and tell mum and dad to leave and go back to their ordinary daily lives but perhaps the adults will never have an ordinary day ever again.

The Pocket Dogs - Mr Pockets loves his two little pocket dogs Biff and Buff but sadly he cannot understand their language. In the first book one little pup falls out of his pocket - I still gasp when I think about the little pup lying on the floor of a busy supermarket. There are three books in this series.

Thank you Santa is a book of letters written over the course of a whole year. At its heart this is a book about the importance of thinking of others and being kind.  Samantha sees the hot polar bears in an Australian zoo. Christmas is summer time. Those bears need something important for their Christmas present this year.

Bogtrotter is forced to think about his life. He enjoys his daily routines but something important is missing.

Robber Girl is a very different story from others I have mentioned here. It feels like a Russian folk tale. I like to read it to children in Grades 4-6. There is a wonderful point in the story near the end where the characters have to make an important decision about how to act. At this point I stop reading and we discuss options for both the character and the author.

This is one of my favourite Margaret Wild tiles. Themes in this book are coveting something belonging to another, theft, honesty, remorse, guilt, confession and forgiveness.  I know they sound like heavy themes but the magical writing of Margaret Wild means all of this is handled which a very light tough all enhanced by glorious illustrations by Kerry Argent. The Last Potoroo visits Miss Lilly and falls in love with her and her beautiful feather boa. The Last Potoroo snips off a tiny fragment of the boa but then discovers this crime does not bring her happiness.

Toby is illustrated by the late Noela Young. It is a sad story about an old dog who eventually dies but this difficult topic is handled gently and skillfully both by Margaret Wild and by Noela.

In The Stone Lion two homeless children seek shelter outside the library. It is freezing and snowing. In a beautiful scene the children are rescued by one of the stone lions and in the warmth of the library their lives are transformed.

Tanglewood is a highly evocative story about the impact of isolation and the forces of nature. It is also an allegory about relationships, families and the importance of friendship.

Old Pig is a very beautiful story about our life journey and the way that journey might end. Old Pig is preparing to die. Ron Brooks has created very gentle illustrations. This is a book to read slowly and it is also a book that, if read at the right time, may help a child make sense of the journey we all travel in our lives.

Reading Fox is an excellent way to appreciate the power of Margaret Wild and her story telling. I was lucky enough to hear Ron Brooks talk about this book and then read it aloud for a small audience many years ago. When Ron read this text for this book it affected him profoundly and this is the way it is sure to affect you. Themes of jealousy, betrayal, trust, dishonesty, cunning, kindness and true friendship are explored in a book that should be shared with all older Primary level students.

Space Travellers is an important book that looks at the confronting issue of homeless people. Once again this difficult topic is handled with a very gentle touch.  Zac and his mum are spending their nights in a rocket which is actually part of the play equipment in a local park. Zac loves exploring the night sky from the top of the rocket but is is clear their situation is actually quite desperate.

I have read Let the Celebrations Begin to Grade Six classes in my school library every year since 1991. That means I have read this book aloud over 120 times to hundreds of students and every time I read this book I cry - such is the power of the words and images. This book is set during the holocaust of WWII. How can this be a celebration? The women in the camp prepare toys because they know one day they will be free and when that day happens they plan to be ready with a celebration where every child will receive a toy - a toy of their own. Out of all the books by Margaret Wild Let the Celebrations Begin is my absolute favourite.

An outstanding book, filled with reverent awe at the nobility of the human spirit. Kirkus

There are so many more books I could mention.  Here are just a few more wonderful titles:

The Very Best of Friends illustrated by Julie Vivas
The Treasure Box illustrated by Freya Blackwood
Jenny Angel illustrated by Anne Spudvilas
Harry and Hopper illustrated by Freya Blackwood
First Day illustrated by Kim Gamble
My Dearest Dinosaur illustrated by Donna Rawlins
Night Night illustrated by Kerry Argent
Chatterbox illustrated by Deborah Niland
Mr Nick's Knitting illustrated by Dee Huxley
Goodbye House, Hello House illustrated by Ann James
The Dream of the Thylacine illustrated by Ron Brooks
Woolvs in the sitee illustrated by Anne Spudvilas
The Feather illustrated by Freya Blackwood
The Midnight Gang illustrated by Ann James