The Little Yellow Digger Saves Christmas product reviews

Peter Gilderdale has done it again, the little yellow digger comes to the rescue, this time of Christmas! In this uniquely kiwi story captures icon moments of a kiwi Christmas. The images in the book are reflective of both New Zealand, and there is a nod to the new normal, Mrs Claus has a mask on when she is looking after the reindeer. As a teacher this really appeals to me as it is encapsulating something that is encroaching on our children's worlds and putting it in a safe and appropriate context, that allows us to have conversations around why Mrs Claus has a mask on. The story has a nice message of helping others when they are in trouble and sharing what you have.

The book itself is full of rhyme and rhythm, making reading it aloud a joy. The digger driver in this story is a female, and once again this opens up conversations around how girls can drive diggers too! The story itself is heart-warming, and of course has a happy ending as all good Christmas stories should! The little yellow digger remains the hero of the story, and this book will reignite kiwi children's passion for their favourite piece of yellow machinery. There is a slight change in this story to the traditional little yellow digger theme, with some whimsy and depiction of the reindeers and the North Pole woven into the book. It adds a little magic to our wee digger.

I highly recommend adding this to the Christmas shopping list this year, as it is going to be a firm favourite with families, children and parents alike. For friends and family overseas; this is a great book to represent our kiwi way of life, and what a New Zealand Christmas looks like. There are native animals dotted through the story to find and New Zealand Christmas trees (Pohutukawa) peeking out from within the pages.

Mr Two had to fetch his own yellow digger toy when he saw this book - it is the second Little Yellow Digger book he has helped to review, and he is now a confirmed fan. The pictures in the book were almost exactly the same as his own toy so it stayed with him while he read the book with his father - what excitement! Miss Four came to join in as he listened to the story, and she too got totally caught up with the action. When she saw Santa's truck stuck in the rocks, she was horrified and wanted to be sure he was all right.

The reindeer's snotty noses and Mrs Claus' face mask caused a lot of interest. Given the events of 2020, both of these are highly topical and can provide the springboard for conversations with older children. Miss Four felt sorry for the sick reindeer and hoped they would be better soon - especially Rudolph, whose red nose had turned bright green. She stopped short of blaming the reindeer for the accident - of course, Santa would not have crashed if he had been in his sleigh as he would not have been driving on a road subject to rock falls - but I am sure her concern was not just for the reindeer, but also for herself in case Santa was prevented from reaching all those stockings he had to fill.

Luckily, the digger driver's daughter was in the parking bay with the little yellow digger. She was there to help out with the Christmas play and offered to get the digger to help rescue Santa. Christmas would be happening after all! Needless to say, Mr Two and Miss Four were most relieved.

Just like all the other books in the series, the beautifully drawn pictures are a highlight for little kids. Bright colours and clear lines ensure that even the youngest child can work out what is going on. Animals feature in many of the scenes - cows, sheep, horses, ruru, dolphins, and especially the cheeky kea who appears regularly. Miss Four made a point of trying to spot kea on every page. Of course, he was probably hiding if she could not see him!

The story is narrated in language that even the youngest child can follow. Most pages have just four lines of simple rhyming text which children will learn quickly, joining in with the last word of each set. The story itself is easy to follow and of course it all ends happily-ever-after, as all good stories do! With Christmas still some weeks away, this book will prove to be a favourite with both children as they count down to the holiday celebrations. Already they are requesting it constantly as a preferred bedtime read.