The Twelve Days of Christmas Grandma is Overly Generous

LoveReading4Kids Says

Dedicated to his own ‘utterly bonkers’ grandma’s and demonstrating his relish for all things Christmas related, Alex T Smith and Macmillan have lovingly produced this top-notch seasonal offering. In a lovely author note at the end we are told he started humming the tune and could not remember all the words and started making them up and so the carol starts traditionally up to five and from there things get more outlandish than even the original.

I cannot decide which is my favourite: the eight bears a-balancing or the eleven penguins parping! Set firmly in the Edwardian era, when the original lyrics were first set to music, allows for gorgeous detail to pore over in the costumes worn by our increasingly amazed black heroine, Eloise Jingles, and the eponymous overgenerous grandma we meet at the end.

But even more delight is found in all the lovely postage and packaging detail that we see before the contents are revealed. The Each Peach Pear Plum Home Orchard Co and Ms Trudy Truelove’s Lovebirds of Distinction can be easily matched with the gift, but it is the Extra Large Parcel Company’s huge box that holds the laugh out loud conclusion.

This could inspire lots of creativity in making up your own versions of the song and designing your own stamps and packaging. A real delight for any home or classroom.

Reviewed by Joy Court
Joy Court is co – founder of All Around Reading, having previously managed the Schools Library Service in Coventry, where she established the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards and…
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About The Twelve Days of Christmas Grandma is Overly Generous

A gorgeously illustrated Christmas classic re-written and illustrated by Alex T. Smith, The Twelve Days of Christmas, or Grandma is Overly Generous, is the creator of the Claude series and How Winston Delivered Christmas.

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