Kangaroo for Christmas

by James Flora

The day before Christmas, Kathryn's present from Uncle Dingo arrives in a big box. Naturally, it's a lively kangaroo. Kathryn can't wait to show grandma, so she hops onto Adelaide's back and off they go!

But getting to Grandma's proves more difficult than expected. Honking horns and screeching breaks frighten Adelaide into taking off on her own. In good Flora fashion, chaos and pure silliness ensue. When Kathryn and Adelaide finally arrive at Grandma's house, a very cool and collected Grandma sees there's nothing to be done but to get them home as swiftly as possible.

A rumpus of a read, Kangaroo for Christmas is a merry Christmas tall tale full of witty illustrations that are sure to draw laughs and hoots of pleasure.

James Flora (1914–1998) was a famous commercial artist from the 1940s through the 1980s. He wrote and illustrated seventeen picture books. This is the second Flora title to be brought back into print by Enchanted Lion Books. The first, published in 2010, was the 1957 book The Day the Cow Sneezed.

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 1962

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy jingle bells! Kathryn's most unusual present is causing one big holiday ruckus in town.



If you're looking for a big, bouncy Christmas read, this book, originally published in 1962, and bursting with illustrations by the fabulous Mr. Flora, should do nicely.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts with a little girl getting a present from her Uncle Dingo. Dingo. What a great name for an uncle. Wish he would have had a bigger role in the story. I bet he was a lot of fun.

That being said, the story was amusing, but the meat of it was a lot of repetition and once the novelty wore off, I was getting a little bored. Still, I really like James Flora (the reason why I picked this up in the first place), so there's that.

[Amy Hesterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh how beautifully vintage this book is....in every way!! That's why when I started reading this, I made sure I looked at the copyright. Certainly this book was published in the 50s...it has such a "No Roses for Harry" feel. But I was so surprised with the 2011 copyright! I hadn't bothered to read the fine print "From the estate of James Flora." Kangaroo for Christmas is just simply fun!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob thought this book was funny...krb 11/28/17

[Inma Swan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catalina es una niña que recibe un regalo sorpresa de su tío, que vive en Australia. Cual es su mayor sorpresa cuando descubre que su regalo tiene pelo y pega saltos agigantados. Es una canguro a la que le pone como nombre Adelaida. No lo duda ni un segundo, abriga a su nueva amiga Adelaida, monta en su lomo y ambas parten para dar un paseo. Lo que no sabe ninguna de las dos es que tanto ruido, tanta gente y tanto coche asustará a la canguro, lo que provocará que no deje de saltar por toda la ciudad metiéndose dentro de las casas, saltando por los coches... boing, boing, BOING. ¡Ambas ponen patas arriba toda la ciudad!

Reseña: https://www.inmaswan.es/2015/01/foto-...

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The adorable cover was misleading. This book was not a hit.

Lesson Connections
One of the Christmas gifts I give my students each year is an extra read aloud every day from the weeks after Thanksgiving till Christmas break. I gather lots of Christmas story books and read one a day. It makes us all happy and the season more celebratory.

[Emjy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un ravissant album jeunesse américain datant de 1962. Les illustrations sont délicieusement vintage et l'histoire pleine de rebondissements (avec une femelle kangourou comme héroïne, on ne se demande pas pourquoi ;))

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could tell from the cover that this was on book published decades ago, and I was excited to read our new copy of it. Silly and fun to look at the pictures. Not really a point to the story that I could see. Just a poor kangaroo's fright and flight (or hop) through a city, with a happy ending.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kangaroo makes a rather unusual gift for Christmas but that's just the present this little girl gets. Kangaroos aren't used to living around cars, trucks, etc which creates some chaos. Author James Flora sure had a vivid imagination with the illustrations to show it.

[Hope L. Justice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations, not a fun book to read. If the illustrator hadn't done such a great job, I would say 1 star.

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too cute!