Another Christmas poem – today it’s a shape poem.
An Australian Christmas Song
To add to yesterday’s end-of-school-year poem, here’s another from my files, which I’ve posted on my blog before.
We sing of jingle bells and snow
Of warm red suits and ho ho ho
But none of this is quite the way
When it is Christmas here below
Downunder in good old Aussieland
It’s time for sun and surf and sand
It’s hot, not cold, it’s summertime
And summer treats are in demand.
Hard work for reindeer in this heat
Hot roofs would burn their tender feet
And racing through the summer skies
Would soon see them feeling beat.
And as for Santa in fur and such
He’d soon feel overdressed a touch
Being snug and warm in blistering heat
Is not likely to impress him much.
Santa needs roos for the job
Of sleigh-pulling – an Aussie mob
To get him moving all around
From Sydney town to Iron Knob.
His suit, too, needs an overthrow
A new outfit, from head to toe
Some boardies, a singlet and some thongs
Would seem to be the way to go.
So let’s not sing of snow and ice
Instead I’ll give you this advice
Roos, utes and summer are the go
For Christmas songs that sound real nice.
So ripper, bonza, beudy strewth
Though you might think my song uncouth
It’s true blue and its ridgy didge
To sing a song that tells the truth.
(Copyright Sally Murphy)
An End-of-School-Year Christmas Poem
We all know Christmas is coming, but today I’m sparing a thought for all the kids across Australia (and their teachers!) who are plodding their way through the last week(s) of the school year. Having been there many times – as a child and as a teacher, I know it can be both exciting and exhausting in equal measure.
Anyway, here is a poem from my files to hopefully make you smile.
Christmas is Coming 
Christmas is coming.
We’ve stopped learning stuff at school
except how to sing Jingle Bells
while standing straight and tall
so the folks can get good piccies
at speech night;
and how to get glitter to stick
to a polystyrene ball
to hang on the Chrissie tree.
And how to make a gazillion cards
one for Mum
one for Dad
and two for the grandmas.
And how to carry homeaAll those scrapbooks
And artworks
and dead textas.
And how to concentrate
on all this
even though it’s 40 degrees
and our classroom isn’t airconditioned
and all we really think about
is that Christmas is coming.
( Copyright Sally Murphy)
Books for Christmas
Looking for a Christmas themed book for a child in your life?
Snowy’s Christmas is the story of a joey who doesn’t like being different – until he meets Santa and 
realises that only he can help with the sleigh. I have a stack of copies which can be posted anywhere in Australia for $18 (postage included). You can email me directly for details, or buy through this ebay link.
Copies will be signed to the recipient.
And, while it isn’t Christmas themed, you might also find a chapter book just the thing for a reader aged 6-10. Doggy Duo was my first ever published children’s book and the only place you can now buy it is direct from me. Super discounted, at just $5 (including postage, again posted anywhere in Australia. Again available through ebay or you can email me for payment details.
If you’re reading this page, you probably don’t need convincing that books make excellent Christmas gifts, but I’m telling you anyway: not only are they great gifts, they are easy to wrap and fit into smallish parcels. Also, buying one of these books helps me to clear much needed storage space on my office! I don’t usually sell my books directly, so now is your chance.
Not interested in either of these books? That’s okay – I urge you to consider heading to your local bookstore and supporting any author (especially Australian ones) by buying a book, or three, this holiday season.
What I Read in November 2024
Hard to believe it is December already, but my calendar says so, so I guess it’s true. And, as always, a new month means time to post what I read last month. A bit of an eclectic mix – eight books in all. Here’s what they were:
Books for Children
Tweet, by Morris Gleitzman (Penguin, 2024). I was lucky enough to be on the same festival line up as Morris Gleitzman at the Scribblers Festival, and of course had to buy his latest book at the festival bookstore. A fun story even while also dealing with big issues around human impact on the environment, as well as grief and loss.
Encyclopedia Brown Carries On, by Donald J. Sobol (Scholastic, 1980). One of the many books from my to-read cupboard which were rescued from a discard trolley years ago. I’m gradually getting through them. Can imagine young readers trying to solve the mysteries along with the main character.
The Best Train Set Ever, by Pat Hutchins (Bodley Head, 1979). And another from the discard trolley. I loved Pat Hutchins’ Titch books but hadn’t come across this little offering which includes three sweet family stories.
Too Many Babies, by Rose Impey & Shoo Rayner (Orchard Books, 1993). A third from the discard trolley (I do seem to read them in batches) featuring a family of tenrecs (Madagascan shrews), as their parents battle to raise their very large littler of babies.Blabber Mouth, by Morris Gleitzman (Pan Macmillan, 1992). Also a book I rescued from somewhere a while back and had in my to-read pile, this caught my eye because I’d been reading Tweet (above) and thought it was time I read this older Gleitzman. He has a knack for mixing humour with difficult concepts.
Books for Young Adults
My Family and Other Suspects, by Kate Emery (Allen & Unwin, 2024). A witty, entertaining murder mystery set in the WA’s Southwest. Ruth, the narrator, is obsessed with murder mysteries, but she doesn’t expect to have one to solve at the family holiday house – but when her step Grandmother dies suddenly, the whole family becomes suspects.
Books for Adults
It All Makes Sense Now: Embrace Your ADHD Brain to Live a Creative and Colorful Life, by Meredith Carder (Hay House, 2024). I came across this one in a bookshop and am glad I did, because it’s one of the best books on ADHD I’ve read – very accessible, good examples and some helpful strategies.
- Selected Verse, by Colin Thiele (Rigby, 1970). I didn’t actually read all of this in November – I have been reading a few poems at a time for several months. I know Thiele best as an author for young people, but this poetry is definitely for adults, dealing with a range of topics from the everyday to the truly confronting.
That brings my total for the year so far to 108. Hoping for a little extra reading time in December as my work year is winding down a little. Currently reading two books – fiction on audio and nonfiction in hard copy, so off to a good start. I’m also hoping to get through more from my to-read cupboard, to free up some storage space.
What are you reading?
What I Read in October 2024
It’s a new month which means I’m sharing what I read in the old month. In October I managed 10 books, with half being new purchases and the other half from my to-read pile which I had hoped to reduce significantly in 2024. It is a wee bit smaller, but with two months to go, I know I won’t be getting that extra shelf back any time soon. So many books so little time! But what a lovely problem to have – too many books. Is that even a thing?
Anyway, here’s what I did manage to finish in October.
Books for Children
Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars, by Catherine Norton (Angus & Robertson, 2024). One look at the cover of this delightful hardcover offering and I knew I had to buy it. And I wasn’t disappointed – an adventurous story of girl-power set in England in 1866 and following the adventures of Hester Hitchins as she tries to take up a place at a Nautical navigation Academy usually only open to boys.
Mouse and His Dog: A Dogtown Book, by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West (Welbeck, 2024). I hadn’t read the previous Dogtown book, but this one sat alone pretty comfortably. Set in a dog shelter and told from the perspective of a mouse called Mouse who is determined to help the dogs who, it seems, may never find homes of their own. Really cute.
The Long Walk, by Kerry Greenwood (Hachette, 2004). This one has been in my to-read pile for quite a while after I bought it from a library discard trolley. Set during the Great Depression, and against the backdrop of the building of the Great Ocean Road, it is the story of Isa Wyatt who, left alone with her three younger siblings, sets off on a journey from Melbourne to Apollo Bay, looking for their father.
Heroes of the Secret Underground, by Susanne Gervay (Angus & Robertson, 2021). More historical fiction – this one a time slip between Sydney in the year 2000 and Budapest in 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary. As such it deals with some really challenging times, but does so in a way with which young people can connect.
Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas (UQP, 2024). It’s a Peter Carnavas book so I knew before I opened it that I would love it. About imaginary friends, real friends and being true to both.
Hey, Kid, by Rita Golden Gelman, illustrated by Carol Nicklaus (Franklin Watts, 1977). Another from my to-read pile. This caught my eye on a library discard trolley ages ago, and has lived in my to-read pile ever since – even though it is a quick read. It’s quirky – and, if Google is to be believed, a bit of a collectible, selling on Abe Books for $32 US. Maybe I should sell my copy?The King and the Sea, by Heinz Janisch & Wolf Erlbruch (Gecko Press, 2015). Another quirky offering from my to-read pile. 21 extremely short stories about a little king – some funny, some to leave you thinking. I loved it.
Books for Young Adults
The Happiness Quest, by Richard Yaxley (Scholastic, 2018). Another from my to-read pile, and glad I finally got to it. As Tillie tries to understand why she is sad, her counsellor suggests she try to find out what happiness is – leading to a lot of realisations not just about herself, but also about her family and friends.
Books for Adults
How to Not Work Forever: Start Investing and Build a Life You Love, by Natasha Etschmann & Ana Kresina (Wiley, 2024). Not my usual type of read, but that’s the point, I think. A really clear guide to the how and why of investment. Inspired me to make some changes to my finances.
A Girls’ Guide to Winning the War, Annie Lyons (Honeysett Books, 2024). I’ve spent much of this year delving into the role of women in WW2, so I couldn’t not read this novel, set in London where librarian Peggy Sparks joins the wat workforce for the Ministry of Information. A pleasing blend of history, friendship and romance.
That brings my total for the year to a respectable 100 books read. Happy with that. What have you been reading?
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