Every Christmas Eve, my children get books as their final Advent Calendar goodies; one in English, one in French for each of them. They know they will find the books underneath their pillows. This year, they will get: Then when it is time for them to go to bed, we will all gather to …
Father Christmas
The Santa Trap
Jonathan Emmett (text) & Poly Bernatene (illustrations)(Macmillan Children’s Books) Bradley is a bad, spoilt rich little boy who gets whatever he wants (and more) from his terrified long-suffering parents and still is never satisfied. Particularly by Santa’s presents. Despite writing ginormous lists every year, all Bradley gets from Santa is a pair of socks. See, Santa knows Bradley …
Smudger the Dog Saves Christmas
Lissa Evans (text) & Holly Surplice (illustrations)(Red Fox) It’s Christmas Eve and Smudger the Dog finds himself thrown out of the house after taking an unwelcome interest in the preparations. While investigating the garden in his own special way, he makes a rather unusual encounter when unexpected guests drop in the garden. Forced to step in for …
The Night Before Christmas
Clement C. Moore (text) & Eric Puybaret (illustrations)(Macmillan Children’s Books) The Night Before Christmas was first published, anonymously, in 1823 in a New York newspaper under the title A Visit from St Nicholas, and was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. The cultural significance of this poem cannot be underestimated; it is largely responsible for …
Secret Santa: Agent of X.M.A.S.
Guy Bass (text) with illustrations of David Lopez(Stripes Publishing) What does Father Christmas do the other 364 days of the year? Have you ever wondered? Well, I certainly never thought he would be doing that: top secret agent of the Xtremely Mysterious Agency of Secrets (X.M.A.S.), bringing justice to the world and protection from the …