Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers, by Lynley Dodd

Glimmering,
shimmering,
brilliantly bright,
the tree was a truly
MAGNIFICENT
sight.
But…
someone was waiting
to meddle and play,
to get up to tricks
in his usual way.

Slinky Malinki is surely one of the world’s best loved cats – certainly amongst those adults and children who have been fortunate to meet him in Lynley Dodd’s picture books. Christmas Crackers sees Slinky pitted against a Christmas tree. He waits till the family has finished decorating then creeps out to explore – with hilarious results.

Dodd has a brilliant way of blending the rhyme and rhythm of her stories with delightful illustrations, filled with detail. They are fun for adults to read aloud, and children just adore listening to them.

This is a real Christmas treat.

Slinky Malinki’s Christmas Crackers, by Lynley Dodd
ABC Books, 2006