ISBN: 978775432555
Pages: 24
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction
Rating: 3 stars
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Kiwi Corkers: Great New Zealand Yarns are jazzed-up, Kiwi'ised versions of classic tales. Gurney's retelling of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is told in a cleverly worded humorous rhyme, although at times it is difficult to keep the rhythm up. I would recommend reading it to yourself a couple of times before attempting to read aloud.
It is in keeping with Dickens original tale with Jerry D. Miser depicted as a complete scrooge, and being visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and future. 'Bah Humbug' has been exchanged for 'Codswallop', a saying very familiar to many kiwi parents I daresay.
Webb's illustrations, using scanned pencil line and Photoshop, add beautifully to the Gurney's retelling, and the use of bright bold artwork clearly matches the text on each page. I love that his ghost of Christmas Past is a Maori warrior, and the expressions on Jerry's face are definitely that of a grumpy old man. Each image has got many kiwi-isms to spot, from an opossum to the pohutokawa flower, the buzzy bee toy to the pavlova.It is a great addition to your Christmas collection. Kids will enjoy the humorous rhyme and illustrations, while parents will enjoy the trip down memory lane and spotting all the kiwi'isms they remember. Even though it is a picture storybook I truly believe that older children will enjoy it more than the younger ones, hence I classified it as a Middle Childhood read.
I got my copy of Kiwi Corkers: A Kiwi Christmas Carol from the Taradale Primary School library where I work.
You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.
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