Ayla's Christmas Wish
By (Author) Pamela Jones
Illustrated by Lucia Masciullo
National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
1st November 2023
Australia
Children
Fiction
Hardback
32
Width 260mm, Height 260mm
Age range 3 to 6
Christmas is coming and Ayla wants a snowman just like in her book, but there is no snow to be found in her drought-stricken town, not even a drop of rain. Only bales of hay.
Aylas Christmas Wish is inspired by the small, south-west Victorian town of Tarrington, which runs a hay bale design competition each year. This book compares European Christmas traditions with the reality of a hot, dry Australian summer. Behind the story of Ayla wishing for a snowman, there is a town wishing for rain.
This story celebrates a community at Christmas-time, and highlights the importance and beauty of small-town resilience.