A wonderful, timely story about Christmas, family and love.
Feature image credit: Penguin Books Australia
Well-known actress and producer Reese Witherspoon has her finger in many pies, most recently writing picture books with Xindi Yan. Busy Betty and the Perfect Christmas Present is their third collaboration, the first two being Busy Betty, and Busy Betty and the Circus Surprise.
This time Betty is excited about Christmas, her favourite time of the year. She wants to buy the perfect gift for each member of her family. But how is she going to afford to pay for them with an empty money box? So, with her best friend Mae, they set about organising a cookie stand to raise the money.
The illustrations are bright and cheerful. The front cover, using mostly red and green colours, immediately evokes a Christmas feeling. This colour scheme continues throughout the book. The image of Betty holding a plate of biscuits next to her dog Frank, both with big round eyes, immediately gives the reader a clue to what is to come. The end papers have lovely illustrations of Betty and Frank, first rushing down the stairs, and at the end, disappearing off the page. Family portraits adorn the walls.
Each picture shows Betty’s emotions clearly displayed on her face: excitement, pleasure, disappointment and sadness. There could be discussions around each emotion and what it looks and feels like. It could maybe help children who have difficulty recognising facial expressions.
Luckily Betty is always able to turn things around and never stays down for long. Betty’s enthusiasm jumps off the page. Of course Betty works out the perfect Christmas presents for her family, but these are full of love. This is a timely reminder that gifts don’t need to cost lots of money; it is the thought behind them that counts the most.
The blurb on the back cover tells us that Witherspoon started selling hair clips in the school yard in second grade, and now she has a business which makes movies and television shows. She is hoping this encourages children and especially girls to think about starting their own businesses.
Busy Betty and the Perfect Christmas Present is a lovely picture book for young children and leaves you with the feeling of being surrounded by a warm hug.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Penguin Books Australia
Released: October 2024
RRP: $19.99
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