Unicorn's Christmas by Lucy Golden

It's almost Christmas! Unicorn is so excited, but there's still a lot to do: make a list for Santa, decorate the tree, make cookies, and more!

But this is a book with a twist... literally! For within the text there are blanks, almost like a cloze activity, and the reader has to turn the wheel to find the best word to fit the context. Helped by an illustration of each word so it is easily read, they can either make a story that is fun but doesn't really make sense, or they can use the cues and clues to predict what is just right for the gap.

So apart from being a story featuring a familiar character doing all those things that herald that special day, it really encourages the young reader to focus their attention and use their existing knowledge to create the story so it makes sense, an essential concept about print and pre-requisite to reading. Physically turning a wheel adds another dimension to the fun, making this one of the most unique Christmas books for our youngest readers.

Barbara Braxton