I don’t think that I have written about a collection of books by one publisher before, but I have 
been asked to look at this collection by the supplier Books2door and as it is a group of stories about Christmas (my favourite time of the year, despite the weather), I agreed. The publisher is also one that I am very fond of; Little Tiger was founded in 1987 and ran as an independent publisher until 2019, when it was bought by Penguin Random House, but it still maintains its ethos and individualism. There are ten picture books in this collection and they are a mix of traditional stories and modern tales. Interestingly there are only two titles that actually have human characters, with the other eight featuring a wide, but familiar range of animals.
“When Granny saved Christmas” by Julia Hubery and
Caroline Pedler is the story of two small mice, named Bubble and Squeak, who are visiting their Granny for Christmas. But how will Father Christmas know where to deliver any presents and even more worrying, how will he get in the house? Granny doesn’t have a chimney, but she comes up with an exciting alternative that they can all enjoy.
“Waiting for Santa” by Steve Metzger and Alison Edgson shows us the power of believing and of friendship. Little bear is convinced that Santa will bring presents at Christmas, but badger is very sceptical as they have never had presents before. Despite this the friends all decorate a tree, with a star on top and snuggle up to wait for Santa, but will they get the surprise they wanted? Well it is Christmas and dreams can come true.
“One Snowy Night” by M Christina Butler and Tina
Macnaughton has been a firm Christmas favourite since it was published over a decade ago. When little hedgehog is woken from his winter sleep he is too cold to go back to sleep, but then out of the sky falls a parcel and it is addressed to him! Inside is a red woolly hat, but as it doesn’t fit, he decides to give it to his friend. The hat is passed to several animals before it finally finds its true home and everyone can snuggle down and keep warm.
“The Night before Christmas” by Clement C Moore and Mark Marshall. This is a re-telling of the now classic story of Christmas eve and is probably how most young children have learnt the names of Santa’s reindeer. As always, this story leaves a nice warm glow.
“The magical Snowman” by Catherine Walters and Alison
Edgson tells the story of young rabbit, who has spent the morning building a very special snowman. When he is asked to pick some berries for tea, he sets off and enjoys it so much, he doesn’t see the now start to fall and the visibility disappear. Magically he is rescued by the snowman and gets home safely.
“A Christmas Wish” by Julia Hubery and Sophy Williams is the story of Gemma and her little brother Ty. When Ty accidentally breaks her favourite tree decoration, Gemma is very upset and angry. But then she remembers all the nice things about her brother and when she finds that he has left some glue and a note saying ‘I’m sorry’ outside her door, she realises that the ornament can be mended and she wants to make up with her brother.
“The magic of Christmas” by Claire Freedman and Gail
Yerrill is about the wonder and joy of experiencing your first Christmas celebration. Little Mouse has never had a Christmas, so he asks his large family what it means to them. Parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and other relatives all share their favourite things. This can vary from making snowmen, sledging, and snowball fights, to Christmas dinner, presents and keeping warm around a fire. All of the things that we imagine a magical Christmas to be, but mainly it is about sharing with family and friends.
“Big Bear, Little Bear” by David Bedford and Jane Chapman is the delightful story of a polar bear and her cub. The latter wants to grow up as big and strong as his mother and to be able to do all the things she does, but she explains that when he is big, she won’t be able to give him a ride on her shoulders. So he decides that growing up is a long term aim, as he loves sharing adventures with his mother.
“A long way from home” by Elizabeth Baguley and Jane
Chapman tells the story of a young rabbit called Moz, who is being squashed by his siblings in the burrow. He decides to go outside and meets his friend Albatross, who offers to take him for a flight. Unfortunately Moz falls off and ends up in the snow and then inside a huge ice hall. At first it is exciting, but then he gets scared and misses his family, so he manages to escape from the ice. Luckily Albatross finds him and he is soon back in the warmth of the burrow and the cuddles of the family.
“When will it Snow?” by Kathryn White and Alison Edgson features another young bear who is longing to see snow. However his mother tells him that bears hibernate when the snow arrives, so he will not be able to seethe winter. So little bear asks his friends, mole and squirrel, what snow is like and they explain about the way it falls, goes slushy and how you can make snow angels. They also confirm that they will be out playing in the winter weather and bear is worried that they will forget about his during the winter and that he will lose his friends. But as we all know, true friends do not forget about you over a short period of time and all is well in the end.
All of these stories have been published over the last couple of decades, but I think this shows the enduring love and fascination that we have with winter and specifically Christmas. There are themes around friendship and family, but the stories often also address some of the fears that young children have about whether Father Christmas needs a chimney any more. this collection is one of several from this publisher and they have always provided a solid basis for school collections about this time of year; they also work brilliantly with individual families as they build their own winter traditions. Reading these stories has really helped start my preparations for the festive season, although decorations will have to wait until December!
can change the stories that we know. It starts out as a version of ‘Little red Riding Hood, but takes an unexpected turn, thanks to the librarian who had been tied up by the wolf. It encourages children to change things around if they don’t like the way a story is going and is a wonderful encouragement for those wanting to write their own stories.
“Birdy and Bou: the Floating Library” by David Bedford and Mandy Stanley is a charming story aimed at the very young. Bou, the panda and his friend Birdy live on the edge of a river. Imagine their excitement when they see the Library Boat on its way to their village, so they and their friends hurry down to the river bank so they can choose some books to read. they become so involved that they do not notice that the boat is about to leave and they need to get the book back. Luckily Birdy is able to fly the book to the Library! A great introduction to using a library and a way of reminding us that in other parts of the world having access to books is more difficult than for us.
Lemmings and finds that they don’t actually jump off cliffs, unfortunately the three on board his ship can’t read and keep jumping into the water, where they need to be rescued. Despite all his efforts, I am not sure that the Lemmings really understand what he was trying to say A great story for the very young, but with a very important message for even the adults among us.
“Picking Pickle” by Polly Faber and Clare Vulliamy. this is an absolutely gorgeous story about choosing a new dog.It is a simple discussion between the reader and a dog called Pickle and he is trying to help us find the right dog to take home. Well, you can imagine who the perfect animal turns out to be! This is a magical story to read to any child, especially if you are thinking about buying a pet. It makes you think about the animal and whether it will fit in with your family, so that you become the perfect family for this dog.
doesn’t know what to do about it. Luckily Doc Bill (a Platypus) comes along and helps him get better with some soothing creams and treatments. Whilst this is a great story it also has a very strong role in helping young children who have eczema understand what is wrong and how the doctors are trying to help them. Definitely one for schools, nurseries and even doctors’ surgeries.
occasions when it is very helpful to have the support of the pack, especially when danger is close by. It is a lovely tale of trying to grow up, testing the boundaries and then understanding the meaning of family and friends. the illustrations are great and you get real sense of connection with Erik and his attempts to grow up.
“The Station Mouse” by Meg McLaren is one of my favourite picture books so far this year. It is the story of Maurice, a station mouse, who collects all of the lost items every night but no one ever comes to claim them back. How Maurice changes the rules of the ‘Station Mouse Handbook’ and makes things better for everyone makes for a fantastic book, which leaves you with a warm glow when you have finished reading it. This is going on my list of ‘forever’ books.
that breathing space to sort everything out. This is the story of Liesel, a little girl who lives high in a clock tower. When she see things going wrong and people being unhappy she stops time and uses that space to help mend, replace, find or save people and things that need help. It really reminds us about the importance of kindness and helping others and has a really magical quality. It is yet another book that will be on my ‘forever’ books list because of the thoughtfulness that it evokes.
that many children (as well as adults struggle with). When Ruby discovers a worry gradually getting bigger she worries so much that it begins to take over her life. Then one day she discovers someone else with a worry and they find that talking about them makes them grow smaller and eventually disappear. The simple, clear and supportive message is one that we all need to remember and this is a perfect story to tell to young children who are in the same situation as Ruby.