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Gunhilde
Plum Pudding For Christmas
It is Christmas in the castle, and the King is coming to dinner, which the Duchess and her 13 daughters are preparing. But the King insists on plum pudding, and there are no plums.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1956
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 15, 2022
Positively darling!
The Duchess invites the King over for Christmas and learns that he loves plum pudding.
“Plums that are purple, plums in a clump,
So that each bumpy lump is a plum that is plump.”
When there is a dreadful mishap in the kitchen with their plums, what is the Duchess to do?
A very unique Christmas story and a wonderful follow-up tale to The Duchess Bakes a Cake!
Ages: 3 - 8
Cleanliness: the Duchess consults a wizard and asks for a spell.
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The Duchess invites the King over for Christmas and learns that he loves plum pudding.
“Plums that are purple, plums in a clump,
So that each bumpy lump is a plum that is plump.”
When there is a dreadful mishap in the kitchen with their plums, what is the Duchess to do?
A very unique Christmas story and a wonderful follow-up tale to The Duchess Bakes a Cake!
Ages: 3 - 8
Cleanliness: the Duchess consults a wizard and asks for a spell.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
December 8, 2025
With the Duke away, the Duchess and their thirteen daughters prepare for Christmas, eventually deciding that they will invite the King to their holiday banquet, in the absence of the lord of the manor. That royal responds that he will certainly come, provided they give him a pudding with plums. But when little Gunhilde eats all the plums in the castle, and the King declares he will behead them if they fail to give him his promised pudding, it looks like Christmas will be rather grim. Then, on Christmas Day itself, who should come riding over the hill but the Duke himself, bearing a most timely gift...
Published in 1956, Plum Pudding for Christmas was the second rhyming picture book from author/illustrator Virginia Kahl to feature Gunhilde, her sisters and parents, and their king, following upon the 1955 The Duchess Bakes a Cake . Like that earlier book, it is an entertaining fairy-tale romp inspired by Kahl's time in Austria, working as a librarian for the U.S. Army during the post-World War II period. Like that earlier book, as well as the subsequent The Habits of Rabbits , which I have also read, it features a rhythmically rhyming text that rolls off the tongue, an entertaining tale that blends fairy-tale elements and madcap humor, and amusing illustrations in a winsome vintage style in which ink drawings are enhanced by a limited number of color washes. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed other books about these characters, to those seeking fun Christmas stories, and to picture book readers in general, who enjoy rhyming stories, quirky fairy-tales, and vintage artwork.
Published in 1956, Plum Pudding for Christmas was the second rhyming picture book from author/illustrator Virginia Kahl to feature Gunhilde, her sisters and parents, and their king, following upon the 1955 The Duchess Bakes a Cake . Like that earlier book, it is an entertaining fairy-tale romp inspired by Kahl's time in Austria, working as a librarian for the U.S. Army during the post-World War II period. Like that earlier book, as well as the subsequent The Habits of Rabbits , which I have also read, it features a rhythmically rhyming text that rolls off the tongue, an entertaining tale that blends fairy-tale elements and madcap humor, and amusing illustrations in a winsome vintage style in which ink drawings are enhanced by a limited number of color washes. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed other books about these characters, to those seeking fun Christmas stories, and to picture book readers in general, who enjoy rhyming stories, quirky fairy-tales, and vintage artwork.
September 3, 2021
Fun story, but the beheading reference (if you don't bake that plum cake, the king will take off your heads) was a bit startling. That was probably 4 lines in the entire story and perhaps can be used to introduce kids to the harsh environment of Medieval kingdoms, but it was bit startling to encounter in an otherwise fun story.
January 8, 2019
This is my new favorite christmas book. Hilarious! Book was actually pretty hard to find too. My copy came from a library in Illinois, stamped with check out dates from the 70's. (Time for a reprint!)
August 27, 2022
Adorable. Our favorite little Gunhilde causes a pre-Christmas plum shortage. A terrible ending looms for the ducal household, but all turns out fine in the end.
Content warning: There's some talk of war and chopped-off heads, and of small animals being used as magic spell ingredients; but overall the story is fairly mild-mannered. (Including the war, as it turns out.)
Content warning: There's some talk of war and chopped-off heads, and of small animals being used as magic spell ingredients; but overall the story is fairly mild-mannered. (Including the war, as it turns out.)
January 4, 2026
Not *quite* as good as The Dutchess Bakes a Cake, but still fresh enough and very good fun.
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October 4, 2024What a delight to read, I love reading children’s story books with rhyming text!
November 22, 2012
Extremely clever long-form poem with charming little illustrations. Can be read aloud from 3/4 to 9, can be read alone 9+ (vocab and phrasing are a bit sophisticated but the illustrations help younger listeners / readers follow well).
April 1, 2013
Plums that are purple, plums in a clump,
So that each bumpy lump is a plum that is plump.
So that each bumpy lump is a plum that is plump.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews