Tea and Sugar Christmas by Jane Jolly and Robert Ingpen

The Tea and Sugar train only came once a week on a Thursday.
But the special Christmas train only came once a year.
Today was Sunday.
Four more days without sugar.
Four more days until the Christmas train. Please, please be on time. Please don’t be late.

Join Kathleen in the outback as she eagerly awaits the Christmas Tea and Sugar train. Will she meet Father Christmas? Will she receive a Christmas gift from him?

A delightful, heart-warming story from the National Library of Australia that will intrigue, captivate and introduce readers to a slice of the past.

Wonderful sensitive illustrations, including a beautiful double fold-out image showing the shops inside all the carriages.

For 81 years (1915-1996) the Tea and Sugar Train travelled from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie.
It serviced the settlements along the Nullarbor Plain, a 1050 mile long rail link.
The biggest excitement for the children was the first Thursday of December every year, when Father Christmas travelled the line.
A delightful, heart-warming story that will intrigue, captivate and introduce readers to a slice of the past.

Absolutely beautiful illustrations, a wonderful gift for primary aged children.

First published Oct 2022. NLA Publishing

Jane Jolly is a primary school teacher of 35 years’ experience. Jane has had three picture books published, each earning a Notable Award from the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Outside of teaching and writing her interests include organic gardening, cooking, and the plight of refugees.