Reindeer’s Christmas Surprise, Ursula Dubosarsky,
illustrated by Sue deGennaro
Allen & Unwin, 2023
Ursula Dubosarsky is one of my favourite Australian children’s authors. Her new picture book, Reindeer’s Christmas Surprise is a wee gem. On the opening page, a very contented reindeer sits back in a comfy armchair, with feet on a stack of books, and more books leaning against the floor lamp waiting to be read. Under the bauble-decorated Christmas tree, ribbon-wrapped presents wait to be opened. There’s fruit on the table ready to be nibbled. Bliss! Heaven! Christmas delight! Except ….
… it is time for Reindeer to get ready, to pack a suitcase with presents and deliver them to his best friends Cat, Dog and Guinea Pig.
Ah, the joy of reading a warm-hearted story of giving. Ursula is a silverwordsmith. She knows how to make a story sing and shine, and make you feel good – even when you get to a teeny tiny sad bit. My favourite word: “toodled”. My favourite sentence: “His heart was full.”
Sue deGennaro’s dreamy illustrations are a perfect match. I love the current watercoloury, soft, almost smudgy colour trend, with faint pencil or pen outlines, and pockets of textured crosshatching. So satisfying on the eye. Images that shine and sing and gleam, just like the words.
Reindeer’s Christmas Surprise is like unwrapping a Christmas present that makes you beam with delight. Perfect.
Ursula Dubosarsky was born and grew up in Sydney and wanted to be a writer from the age of six. She is now the author of over 60 books for children and young adults, and her work is published all over the world. She has won several national literary awards, including the NSW Premier’s Literary Award a record five times, and internationally she has been nominated for both the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Prize. Ursula Dubosarsky was the 2020-2021 Australian Children’s Laureate.
Sue deGennaro has a degree in film, a diploma in fine art and a certificate in welding. After being awarded the Australian Society of Authors Mentorship in 2007, Sue has written and illustrated over thirty picture books, including her collaboration with Jackie French on their Wilderness Society Environment Award title, The Tomorrow Book. Sue is the author and illustrator of We’re Stuck (shortlisted for the CBCA Award in 2020) and The Pros and Cons of Being a Frog (shortlisted for the CBCA Award in 2013). Her book about a baggage-handling Moose, Missing Marvin, received the 2019 Children’s Peace Literature Prize. Her books have published in the USA, Canada, France, Korea, Germany, China and Taiwan.
Allen & Unwin page
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