Christmas Archives - Page 2 of 3

THAT Christmas
by Richard Curtis & Rebecca Cobb

In a little village on the East Coast of England live five families whose lives are inextricably linked. Their children have known each other since birth and they share in each others joys and sorrows. They take group holidays in the summer and every winter they celebrate Christmas together in a big barn.

The children love their Christmas traditions. They open presents, eat turkey, go for a walk, visit the neighbours and watch Christmas TV. It’s the same every year. Well, it was until THAT Christmas.

THAT Christmas an unlikely turn of events resulted in the children being left home alone, and naturally mayhen ensued!

We watch as they replicate all of their traditions in their own child-like way. Presents are ripped open and swapped, hotdogs and cakes are consumed under the dining room table, the dirty dishes are sprayed with a hose in the garden and their visit to the neighbours turns in to a raucous dance party in their pyjamas!

Fri
20 ^th

The Night the Reindeer Saved Christmas
by Raj Kaur Khaira & Kasia Nowowiejska

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Yesterday I dug out all our Christmas books and added them to the towering pile of new titles sitting on my desk. We have so many lovely ones but as I flicked through them one thing was immediately obvious – an almost total lack of diversity. It seems that white boys have a monopoly on saving Christmas, white girls are all about the gifts, and black and brown people barely feature at all.

So I’m kicking off my Christmas books with this little gem which we have only recently discovered. It features an Indian Santa and a Black Mrs Claus and the story highlights the fact that the reindeer are all female!

It’s December 23rd and Mr Claus is 100% prepared for Christmas. Hooray! But naturally, this doesn’t last long and his peace is shattered when a fault is discovered with the rockets on his sleigh. With no way to deliver the presents it looks like Christmas will have to be cancelled!

Fri
02 ^nd

Billy And The Balloons
by Elizabeth Dale & Patrick Corrigan

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Is it too early to mention Christmas? I’m writing this wearing a big jumper and woolly socks whilst rain hammers at the window so I am declaring it almost winter. 2020 has been utterly rubbish and I think we are all in need of some cheering up, so welcome to my first festive review of the year!

It’s Christmas Eve and Billy is watching his dad sell balloons as the last of the shoppers grab gifts for their loved ones. He really wants to help but Billy is quite small and his dad thinks he is far too tiny to hold on to the big bunch of colourful shapes.

Suddenly a powerful gust of wind bounces the balloons up in to the air and out of his dad’s hand. Billy jumps and grabs hold of the strings but he is so small that he is lifted off his feet. His dad grabs on to his ankles but he is lifted up in the air too!

Thu
07 ^th

Around the World in 24 Hours: An Advent Calendar Story

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It feels a little early to be mentioning Christmas, but this book is designed to be used as an advent calendar from the beginning of December so you’ll want to get your hands on one pretty soon!

This gorgeous, personalised gift book follows Santa’s journey as he travels around the world delivering presents. Written in rhyme, it’s designed to be read one page per day in the run up to Christmas and features lots of interesting facts about the festive traditions in different countries.

Did you know that in Tahiti the children leave out mangoes and peanut cookies for Santa and his reindeer? or that in Latvia children traditionally have to recite a poem to receive a present? Nope – me either and it’s fascinating stuff!

Fri
21 ^st

Socks For Santa By Adam & Charlotte Guillain & Lee Wildish

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Thoughtful George has a plan. As Santa brings him presents every single year, this Christmas George decides he’s going to take some gifts to Santa instead. He makes himself a sleigh, packs a big box of presents (throwing in some extra woolly socks for himself just in case it gets cold!) and he sets off for the North Pole.

However when he gets there he is met by a little elf in despair. They are really behind at wrapping the presents and Rudolph’s nose has stopped glowing because he has flu. George mucks in to help and soon everything is ready for Santa’s journey. He digs in to his box of presents and gives the elves some treats to make them feel better and also finds a torch for Rudolph. However the other reindeer get a little over-excited at the sight of all the presents and soon the big box of gifts George had brought for Santa is empty!

Thu
20 ^th

We’re Going On An Elf Chase By Martha Mumford & Laura Hughes

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We love this festive lift-the-flap book which will appeal to fans of the 80’s classic ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’.

Join a group of bunnies, wrapped up warm in their winter woollies, as they head off on an adventure to find Santa’s elves. On the way they encounter sliding penguins, chirping robins, snoring polar bears and clippy cloppy reindeer.

The bunnies do an excellent job of manoeuvring around the obstacles in their path but they will need your child’s help to find all the elves, who are sneakily hidden away behind flaps on the pages.

Wed
19 ^th

A Greyt Christmas Tail By Miriam Payne & Anne-Marie Sonneveld

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Ramsey and Blue, two rescue dogs, are fast asleep in their beds dreaming of sausages when Santa and his reindeer come crashing down in their back garden. Some of the reindeer have colds and are too ill to pull the sleigh – but Santa still has a whole sack of presents to deliver and he doesn’t know what to do.

Fortunately the two dogs have a solution! Ramsey, a lurcher, is super strong and Blue is a retired greyhound who can run really fast. With a sprinkle of magic they leap to the skies and they pull Santa’s sleigh with ease.

Soon all of the presents have been safely delivered and grateful Santa asks them to make a wish. Will they ask for more sausages or will they ask for something which benefits dogs less fortunate than themselves?

Tue
18 ^th

How To Ride A Polar Bear By Caryl Hart & Ed Eaves

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When little Albie goes to the museum with his mum he is expecting the visit to be dull, dull, dull. However the arctic exhibition holds a lot more than just boring old exhibits!

Albie tries on a wintry outfit and is just about to start building an igloo out of blocks when BAM a snowflake falls on his nose, followed by a whole flurry of real snow. As Albie turns in confusion he sees a polar bear running towards him and realises he has magically entered an arctic world!

He befriends a little girl called Yura who is desperately trying to make her way home in the snow. Together they head off on an icy adventure featuring polar bears, an avalanche and some howling wolves. But will Albie be able to help Yura find her way home or will they be lost forever?

Sun
16 ^th

Penguin Small By Mick Inkpen

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Penguin Small has a lot of fears. He is scared of the nasty polar bears bears who have been playing tricks on him and his friends, he’s scared of water and he’s not a big fan of being on his own. So when all of the other penguins decide enough is enough and head out to sea to make a new life in the South Pole, he is left in an unhappy position. He can’t follow them because he won’t go in the water, but he can’t stay because of the polar bears and the loneliness. What is a little penguin to do?

At exactly the right moment a Snowman appears and a series of events result in them floating off to sea on a small piece of ice and discovering a beautiful tropical island. The new friends meets lots of exciting new animals in this weird and wonderful place and the Snowman vows that he will stay there forever.

Thu
06 ^th

Snowball By Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet

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At the top of a very tall hill stands a lonely snowball in a tiny yellow hat. As he stares down at the little town miles below him he decides that today is the day his life is going to change. He’s going to leave his quiet hill and go and find some new friends to have fun with.

As he takes the first few steps towards this new adventure he trips and falls – and starts rolling down the hill! Being a snowball, he gathers more snow as he rolls. Getting bigger and faster, his descent is soon out of control! His big snowy body collects things as he rolls – first some twigs and a pebble, then a sheep, some pants and even an acrobat team. Even rolling through the zoo doesn’t slow him down.

What will happen when he finally reaches the bottom of the hill and will he make the new friends he so needed?

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