AUTHOR: Liv Bodil Førre Skogstø
The story tells the tale of Jack who lives with his
grandparents as his parents died when he was only a few months' old.
Each day before Christmas Jack
learns different things from his grandparents. Grandma teaches him how to make
biscuits and he learns what food colouring is and why too much sugar is bad for
him. He learns how to make Christmas
decorations and ornaments and the meaning of Christmas garlands which are a
symbol of brotherly love. His Grandma explains
what religion is and what it means to be a Christian. She tells him the
importance of keeping a secret and that the greatest joy is to make people
happy, this is the motto she lives her life by.
From Grandpa, Jack learns how to
make bird food from seeds, cake and breadcrumbs melted in lard, he finds out
about adoption and what it means and why some children have different skin
colour from his; Grandpa also tells him about refugees and why they are in their
country rather than their own.
Jack asks Grandpa to relate his
old memories from when he was a boy and about how he’d seen Santa when he was
young on Christmas Eve.
Jack secretly makes a chopping
board for Grandma’s Christmas present and is delighted when at last he can
share the secret he and Grandma have been keeping about Grandpa’s Christmas
present, a horse, which is delivered on Christmas Eve.
Jack has a Christmas treat of
sleeping in his grandparent’s bed on Christmas Eve and enjoys waking up beside
them on Christmas morning.
This is a delightful tale with
many interesting facts about Norway such as an old Norwegian tradition of how
during Advent people join hands and make a circle around the Christmas tree and
sing Christmas carols.
The story portrays a delightful
insight into life in the Norwegian countryside and contains many important
messages for young children to learn about growing up and about the world
around them told through the eyes of Jack and his loving grandparents.
The book has large print for
young readers and engaging illustrations which relay the story well.
Reviewer - Anne Pritchard
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