Bluey – Christmas Swim
based on the ABC kids TV show
Penguin Random House, Australia, 2021
Age group: preschool
Format: 32 page hardback
I must say that I really enjoyed Bluey’s Verandah Santa book so it didn’t take much convincing for me to try this Bluey Christmas book!
The story
It’s Christmas Day and the heelers want a swim to cool off. Bluey has a new toy, Bartlebee, to introduce to everyone.
My review of Bluey – Christmas swim
It’s an Aussie Christmas Day, and kids will love sharing those familiar activities and traditions with Bluey and her family.
I found the Christmas Day celebrations were relatable, with Aussie traditions like a roast pork (and discussions about the crackling!), having a swim, avoiding the creepy crawly in the pool, and having wrapping paper everywhere as presents are opened.
It is an okay read in general, but much more enjoyable if you know the Bluey characters to better understand their behaviours and gifts – and why an aunt and uncle were overseas for Christmas (I suspect a honeymoon!)
The pictures are true to the characters in the TV series, so the book will be an extension of the shows kids love. 
Obviously this is cartoon where dogs have many human traits and actions. However, the anthropomorphism goes a bit far for my taste (Bartlebee is treated as a real character) – I think adults will cringe but young kids will appreciate the family accepting Bluey’s reality.
The book has a nice theme of welcoming, for instance Bluey’s new aunt is welcome as is Bluey’s toy, and the entire family accepts the child’s beliefs of Bartlebee as a living friend.
According to the back cover, there is also a Bluey – Hooray it’s Christmas book if you want more Christmas cheer for Bluey fans!
Would I recommend Bluey – Christmas swim? To be frank, it wasn’t as good as Verandah Christmas, but it was nice and will make any Bluey fan happy. So, definitely worth it for young Aussies!
