LAWFORD, Miles (illus.) The Twelve Days of (Kiwi) Christmas Scholastic, 2013 unpaged NZ$19.50 pbk +CD ISBN 9781775431671 SCIS 1620584
The idea of national identity is a fascinating one to explore through literature and song and a good way to begin this journey is through this picture book (with a CD sung in English and Māori). If you were to list twelve icons, objects, rituals, or whatever that denotes for you your sense of national identity, what would you choose? I would ask a group of children before I read this version of that classic Christmas song. As they shared their thoughts, I would give a big tick for those that were in the book. Meatpies? Pavlovas? L@P drink? Whitebait? Tui beer? Paua? (Only one of these is in the book). Of course there might be some essentials from an Aussie perspective. Sheep (smile)? Certainly, the sight of some (recognizable) rugby players might give our neighbours conniptions!
The blend of sound and images is likely to create some frolicking antics, but hey, when it is Christmas, there is meant to be joy! The addition at the end of a Māori translation is superbly apt, allowing the book to be used to both acknowledge and enhance Te Reo, but also to stress that Christmas is about a coming together of a larger community, building a sense of whanau. Recommended. JMcK
