Christmas Always Comes | Hardback Book

• By Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
  
• Approximately 28cm x 27cm
  
• Non-rhyming
• Hardback picture book
  
• Main themes: Kindness, Christmas, Australian
  
• Inclusions: Family life, history
  

This very special Christmas picture book delivers a slice of Australian life that many children might not be familiar with. Christmas Always Comes finds little Joey and his big sister Ellie on Christmas Eve in 1932. They're droving with their parents, driving cattle across the Australian outback during the drought. Joey is convinced that the following day they'll still have a Christmas tree, Santa will still visit them with presents, and there will be Christmas pudding. Ellie is a little more realistic given they're in the outback with very little possessions or clothing with them.

The next day - Christmas Day! - Joey discovers a Christmas tree! But it's not really a Christmas tree, it's an apricot tree full of king parrots, and it belongs to a gruff old man who starts out by telling them to leave his private property. However, the children's naivety and politeness ends up reminding the old man of the true spirit of Christmas, and together he, the children, and their parents make it a very special Christmas Day, complete with a roast dinner, presents, and even a pudding.

Christmas Always Comes is filled with absolutely beautiful double page illustrations. The story reminds children to be grateful for what they have, and also of the power of kindness.  The hard cover has a soft matte feel with gloss features across the title, parrots, and apricot tree.