Three Little Monkeys At Christmas
Quentin Blake/ Emma Chichester Clark
Anyone who has enjoyed Blake and Clark’s previous tale of hapless Hilda’s three wayward monkeys and their cheeky exploits will adore this festive rendition of the formula. Anyone new to the idea might be surprised at Blake being cast in the author role rather than the illustrative one, but trust us, it works. Not least because Emma Chichester Clark’s drawings are an absolute triumph of warmth, humour and characterful detail. Buy it.
Coming Home
Michael Morpurgo
This irresistible tale about a plucky little robin trying to make his way home through the inhospitable elements – driving rain, clapping thunder et cetera – is a pure delight, its words beautifully spun by the always-wonderful Michael Morpurgo. The illustrations, by Kerry Hyndman, are a joy too. Buy it.
Dasher
Matt Tavares
‘Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen!’ We, like many others across the globe, can reliably be found bellowing these precise words in unison on Christmas Eve night. And yet, what if those magical reindeer had been kept under lock and key in a travelling circus rather than darting across the world to deliver joy once a year? Matt Tavares’ book imagines just that sorry scenario. Until, that is, one day brave Dasher escapes and takes off, guided by the North Star, to find her true destiny: to live with snow under hoof. And the rest, as they say, is history. Buy it.
The Snow Girl
Sophie Anderson
Hilary McKay calls it ‘mesmerising’. Sibéal Pounder pronounces it ‘a truly special book of snow and winter magic with the warmest and most cheering beating heart. I can't stop thinking about it.’ And The Telegraph describes it as ‘Frozen meets Narnia in an enchanting children's novel.’ The award-winning Sophie Anderson’s newest book is one for slightly older readers (9 – 12, we would say), so perhaps best to start it a few days before Christmas Eve and finish it on the big night. It tells the tale of Tasha, who longs for her snowman to become real. But after she wishes on the snow, she meets Alyana, ‘a friend made of wishes, starlight, snowfall and magic.’ But what will happen when winter turns to spring? Buy it.
One Christmas Wish
Katherine Rundell
Ever since she brought out Rooftoppers a decade ago, author and scholar Katherine Rundell has been unable to do wrong. But even in a landscape of success after success, 2023 has been her year. Covered in awards and prizes, she also published Impossible Creatures, a book set to be the one that cements her children’s literature in the canon of all-time greats. One Christmas Wish came out in 2019 and is well worth a revisit on the eve of the big day. As the The i wrote at the time, ‘Lonely Theo has just one wish. And when you have love, luck and Christmas on your side, anything can happen. Rundell's words are pure poetry and Emily Sutton's drawings sing in this glorious future classic.’ Buy it.
The Snow Dragon
Abi Elphintone
Another contemporary children’s writer who is swiftly earning her place in the handful of classic children’s writers is Abi Elphinstone, whose imagine is both exceptional and extraordinary. It tells the story of Griselda Bones, in whose orphanage ‘daydreaming is banned, skipping is forbidden and Christmas is well and truly cancelled. But for Phoebe and her sausage dog Herb, is it possible that, just when things seem at their bleakest, magic awaits in the swirling, snow-filled air?’ Sheer wintry joy. Buy it.
Snow In The Garden: A First Book Of Christmas
Shirley Hughes
The late, great Shirley Hughes wrote perfect books for young minds because, simply, she understood them. This charming anthology is bursting with stories and poems, recipes and craft activities – all centred around the theme of Christmas. Everyone, no matter whether they are one or 101, should own a copy of this book to capture and then go on recapturing, year after year, the magic of Christmas. Buy it.
By Nancy Alsop
December 2023
