jessiquie's review
Tea and Sugar Christmas by Jane Jolly and Robert Ingpen is perhaps one of my favourite Christmas book discoveries this year, and indeed of all time.
Tea and Sugar Christmas is a unique festive book. Unlike most books on the market, this narrative doesn't focus on Santa Claus, but rather a specifical aspect of Australian history, the old Tea and Sugar train. This makes this book both historical and creative non-fiction.
The Tea and Sugar Christmas is the story of tea and sugar train that would travel from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie providing much-needed services to remote areas of Australia (along its track) once a week, with the special Christmas train coming just once a year.
I'd never heard of the tea and sugar train before, so I was fascinated to learn about the ins-and-outs of the way this service worked. Once a week, the gigantic train would pull up with carriages carrying all sorts of goods and services (butchers, provision stores, welfare car, a bank, and the Christmas car with Santa who gave the kids a present). Furthermore, the back of the book includes detailed information, history and photos of the trains and the services they provided, making this an excellent educational tool for adults and children alike.
Another reason as to why this book is my favourite Australian Christmas book is because of the inclusion of diversity. This is one of the ONLY festive books I've ever seen that features Indigenous Australians as the main characters. In fact, it's the only one I've come across in years that even features them at all!
Unlike conventional picture books, the Tea and Sugar Christmas uses the addition of a larger double-page folded in half, giving each spread effectively three pages of working space to tell its story. For each double-page spread, there is a full page of text on the right-hand side with a black-and-white hand-drawn image visible on the outside of the folded left-hand spread. When you open the folded left-hand page, however, there are the most exquisite full-colour images taking up the full surface of the folded in page.
Tea and Sugar Christmas has targetted at an audience of 5+, but given the style, presentation and language used in this narrative, I feel the book is probably more suited to an older audience ... potentially eight or above?
I highly recommend the Tea and Sugar Christmas book to anyone looking for an authentic and uniquely Australian Christmas book.
Tea and Sugar Christmas is a unique festive book. Unlike most books on the market, this narrative doesn't focus on Santa Claus, but rather a specifical aspect of Australian history, the old Tea and Sugar train. This makes this book both historical and creative non-fiction.
The Tea and Sugar Christmas is the story of tea and sugar train that would travel from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie providing much-needed services to remote areas of Australia (along its track) once a week, with the special Christmas train coming just once a year.
I'd never heard of the tea and sugar train before, so I was fascinated to learn about the ins-and-outs of the way this service worked. Once a week, the gigantic train would pull up with carriages carrying all sorts of goods and services (butchers, provision stores, welfare car, a bank, and the Christmas car with Santa who gave the kids a present). Furthermore, the back of the book includes detailed information, history and photos of the trains and the services they provided, making this an excellent educational tool for adults and children alike.
Another reason as to why this book is my favourite Australian Christmas book is because of the inclusion of diversity. This is one of the ONLY festive books I've ever seen that features Indigenous Australians as the main characters. In fact, it's the only one I've come across in years that even features them at all!
Unlike conventional picture books, the Tea and Sugar Christmas uses the addition of a larger double-page folded in half, giving each spread effectively three pages of working space to tell its story. For each double-page spread, there is a full page of text on the right-hand side with a black-and-white hand-drawn image visible on the outside of the folded left-hand spread. When you open the folded left-hand page, however, there are the most exquisite full-colour images taking up the full surface of the folded in page.
Tea and Sugar Christmas has targetted at an audience of 5+, but given the style, presentation and language used in this narrative, I feel the book is probably more suited to an older audience ... potentially eight or above?
I highly recommend the Tea and Sugar Christmas book to anyone looking for an authentic and uniquely Australian Christmas book.
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