The Beaver Who Saved Christmas
by Will Millard, illustrated by Jo Lindley
Interest age: 3 to 7
Reading age: 7+
Published by Hachette, 2024
About this book
Elin and her grandad live together in a village by a creek. They are excitedly preparing for Christmas until Elin notices that the local beaver’s pool has become filled with plastic decorations. Even worse, the baby beaver has become tangled up in Christmas lights!
They call animal rescue to make sure the poor beaver is saved and treated immediately. But Elin isn’t content. She uses a video of the rescued beaver to highlight the effects of pollution and encourages everyone in her community to clean up the pool – saving Christmas for everyone!
This is a heartwarming story based on real events which brings up environmental issues in an age-appropriate way while celebrating the power of children’s voices to inspire change. Elin and her grandad have a great family dynamic, and they model environmental responsibility well, including reusing old ornaments, making natural decorations, and saving the beavers from their situation in a safe way.
Alongside the story, this book also includes lots of information about beavers and their impact on local ecology. There is also a fun activity page which demonstrates how to make your own natural beaver decoration. A fabulous choice for an informative and engaging winter read.
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Lists of recommended reads
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Books with family and friends looking after children
It's important that books reflect contemporary society, and that children see a variety of family situations in the stories they read. Some families don't have a mum or dad in the carer or parental role. Sometimes grandparents or uncles or aunts are looking after the children. This can be called 'kinship care' or 'family and friends care'. This selection of fantastic books show children living with family members who aren't their parents, although that is usually only the background setting, not the plot.