Merry Christmas, Little Wombat! by Charles Fuge

In the bush Christmas always starts with a lucky dip from Mrs Roo's pouch and this year all the little animals have discovered musical instruments, perfect for tootling and banging and tinging as they march down to the beach for the Christmas party.

"I wish we had a Christmas tree," Little Wombat muses, and suddenly, after they have been rolling and jumping in the sand, they did. Not only that, there was Santa and a reindeer ... and a very clean beach.

Little Wombat and his friends are fast becoming a preschool favourite series as not only are the creatures familiar and seemingly the same age as they are, they do the sorts of things that little ones do while there is always a subtle message to gently absorb as they read - this one about being aware of how we treat our beaches. Despite being an Englishman living in England, Fuge's illustrations capture Little Wombat and those in his world perfectly with just the right blend of anatomical correctness and whimsy.

While our little ones are no doubt seeing the traditional pine tree being decorated for this festive season - whether it is real or fake - it is an opportunity to think about how else they could make a Christmas tree from what is around them. They might not have an echidna with a spiky back, but it only takes a little imagination... At the same time, older siblings might like to investigate why we have trees at all, as well as what inspired them to be decorated. From seemingly simple books can come lots of learning... this one is going in my to-keep collection.

Themes: Wombats, Christmas.

Barbara Braxton