BookBairn: Festive Reads

Showing posts with label Festive Reads. Show all posts

Is it possible that many authors (and illustrators) spent the first lockdown writing festive and Christmas books? I think it must have been because there is a bumper load of new releases this year! As always it's likely I've missed something out, I had great difficulty getting this list down to 20! So you can imagine I've had to leave a few out! Without further ado:

As you know I love reading picture books for my own self as much as with my bairns! And as we unwrapped our advent books this year I discovered we had four wonderful books that really capture the spirit of Christmas.

One Christmas Wish by Katherine Rundell & Emily Sutton

Christmas is one of the times of year where we really do put family and friends first. We make time for them. We spend time together. But for Theo, it's Christmas Eve and he has been left at home with a babysitter whilst his parents are working. He sees an odd-looking star out of the window and he decides to make a wish. He wishes that he has some friends to keep him company. Moments later their Christmas decorations begin to disentangle themselves from the tree and wreak a little havoc. But they also create a little magic for Theo, magic that was missing. And perhaps they get a message through to his parents after all! With incredible illustrations (of which I won't share the most spectacular because I don't want to take away from the wonder when you see it for this first time!), this is a lovely book about spending time together to wreak a little havoc and create magic in the little things!

Last Stop on the Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck & Karl James Mountford

Sometimes Christmas can be hard. For people on their own and for children separated from their parents. We laud that Christmas is about family but what if your family is apart? In this book, Mia's dad can't make it home for Christmas so she wants to find a way to at least get a card to him via a mysterious postbox. And off she is whisked on an unforgettable adventure but will she reach her dad in time? And little readers can join in the journey via peek-through pages and hidden flaps! This is a festive adventure that evokes all the magic of Christmas but at it's centre is a little girl who wants to be with her father - she doesn't need the gifts, she just wants to wish him a Merry Christmas. And I love that! Thank goodness technology exists that bring us closer to family all around the world. But this is a poignant reminder for us grown-ups that our kids just want us and our love and attention at this time of year. And you can see from the cover that it's beautiful! Intricate illustrations and rich colours make you feel like Christmas is just jumping off the page!

Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht & Jarvis

This is a beautiful poem about the joys of choosing a pine tree, taking it home an decorating. It might seem simple but that's the joy of Christmas isn't it - finding the fun in the simple rituals! And decorating tree is one that is wonderful. The illustrations in this book just bring to life the fun of picking a pine tree and adorning it with all the wonderful decorations.

Jolly Santas.

Dancing elves.

Wooden reindeer.

Jingle bells.

Lacy snowflakes.

Paper dolls.

Candy canes and

bright glass balls.

With loops of thread

or wire hooks,

hang them all in

little nooks.

It has a retro style which I adore and brings back memories of Christmases-past as well as enjoying Christmas present and thinking of Christmases future.

Grandpa Christmas by Michael Morpurgo & Jim Field

What Christmas traditions do you cherish? In Mia's house they love to gather around the tree and read the letter her Grandpa wrote her one Christmas. In it he tells her of the joyful childhood he watched her enjoy, appreciating all the world around her. But he also tells of the worries he has for the future of our planet and how the world is changing. How we are damaging it, taking it for granted. His letter is a heartfelt wish for a better world for Mia to live in. A hopeful and timely story about looking after our planet and making a better world for future generations. A rather stirring message to hear it Christmas-time perhaps but one that I think is worth remembering! And the illustrations are beautiful! I love the style that makes the characters appear timeless and the spreads which feature scenes of nature are a spectacular ode to our magical planet!

Four books that are wonderful to enjoy reading with children - they are great stories and share captivating illustrations - but also for taking the time to appreciate ourselves as adults. For reminding us of the spirit of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Kim and the bairns xx

Disclaimer: these are all our choices. Some were sent from publishers (others are books that I have bought myself) but they were not sent in connection with this post. Their inclusion here is my choice. Because I really do think they are great. Please read our Review Policy if you want to know more. If you click on the image of the book below you will be sent to Amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on Amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-90p per book) from Amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog post please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our For Readers Section.

Since BookBairn's first Christmas I have been doing a book advent calendar with her so that every day in December we have a 'new' book to share and enjoy curled up together. (You can find links to all our previous ones at the end of this post.) Last year I feel like I really out-did myself with my beautiful Advent Book Tree so this year I decided to do something different and rather than create a tree, as I had done in previous years, I have gone for a lovely book collection on top of our mantlepiece.* And I can't wait to get started! Roll on December.

Last year's Advent Book Tree.

*I have taken it down for the moment and will put it back up at the end of November as I didn't want the bairns to get all excited too soon!

I'm sure some of you are keen to see what's inside the presents but, like the bairns, you will have to wait (as I didn't stop and take any photos beforehand! - bad blogger moment!) and I will share over on our Instagram. I thought I would share some tips with you that I have learned over the last four years in creating these book countdowns. Different things work for different families so these are just things that work for us.

Get everything organised.

I know it is only November but I find it easier to keep all our festive books in a box in the attic and then dig them out early and spread them all out and see what we have. This is our fourth year of having a book countdown so I now have 24 books without much difficulty (more on collecting books below). If you want to wrap them then you will also need plenty of time to do that.

Collecting Books

Gathering 24 books sounds like a bit of a feat, and whilst we are very lucky and now get sent books for review, as well as having an existing collection. But we were first time book advent-ers once too so I know that it's daunting the thought of buying that many books. But here are some tips:

Start small.

If you can't collect 24 books. Don't. Start with 12 and do a 12 days of Christmas countdown. Your little one won't know any different and the magic of a 'new' story every day will excite them whether it's 12 days or 24.

Broaden the theme.

Don't have enough festive or Christmas books? Why not add wintry themed books to the mix - anything with snow, penguins or a winter scene will work wonderfully. Or just use some of their favourites - festive or not.

Use the library.

The first year we did our advent book tree, I went down to the library and borrowed a dozen or so books, wrapped them up and put them in out countdown. Our library allows you to borrow books for 3 weeks, and most of the time I can renew online so I knew it wouldn't be a problem to use them and keep them for the month. But you could also number your books, or wrap them in a way that they stand out to you (a little sticker, or different paper) or in some way orchestrate it that they open the library books first so that you get a chance to return them if necessary.

Charity Shops.

The charity shops local to us now have their festive displays in the windows so you will without a doubt be able to pick up some wonderful books to include.

Book People, The Works or Aldi.

Both The Book People and The Works have book collections of 10 books for £10 at the moment so you could add to your collection using these deals. And the supermarket Aldi I noticed had lots of great books in at the moment for not too costly.

To Wrap or Not to Wrap

I was a little bit torn as to whether or not to wrap up my books this year. Mostly because I'm more conscious of making our Christmas a but more eco-friendly. But in the end I decided I wanted to because, for me, it's part of the magic to unwrap them. When we did BookBairn's first one, she was only 9 months old and she started to unwrap things and play with the paper, by her second year, it was great practise for Christmas day and now it's The Wee Page Turner's turn to experience that too. So I wanted to wrap mine. But I know that some other people use a gift bag or make a fabric bag or just write the titles of books on slips of paper and put inside a refillable advent calendar. You do what works for you. But note it took over 3 hours to wrap them all!

Numbering

Some people like to number their books. Or have the bairns unwrap them in a certain order. It's good for number recognition and number ordering skills. (And if there are library books in the bundle you might want to). But I have always let BookBairn choose at random which one she wants to open and I will be doing the same this year. I'll let them take it turn about to choose.

How to Display

I have seen some people say that leaving wrapped books around might lead young children to the temptation to open them but we've never had that problem. Every year I've had them stacked on the floor and not one was opened before it should have been. It's the same with keeping presents under the tree - they don't unwrap those before Christmas day. For me that's part of the lesson - learning to be patient and wait. But if you don't think your little one wouldn't be able to resist - keep them out of reach. You do what works best for you. We have always had a tree bundle with the books stacked from largest to smallest. But this year I'm displaying them differently as you can see from the photo.s (I will probably add some lights and perhaps tinsel or some other decorations - I would quite like two nutcrackers to have at each end - but these photos were more of a test run.) There are lots of other lovely ways to display them - just have a look on Pinterest!

I hope you have found some useful tips here! And we would love it if you shared your photos of your bookish countdown with us so do send to us on social media or tag @BookBairn in your photos.

Here are our previous Christmas Countdowns:

Advent Book Tree 2017

Advent Book Tree 2016

Advent Book Tree 2015

Happy countdown,

Kim and the bairns x

A couple of weeks ago the lovely Catherine from Story Snug asked us to join in her wonderful Online Book Advent Calendar where every day until Christmas lots of bookish bloggers, authors and illustrators share there favourite festive reads. And of course I was delighted to join in... but... how was I going to choose one sing favourite festive read. So I decided to let BookBairn choose. And she chose well.

Oliver Elephant by Lou Peacock and Helen Stephens was her choice and I can see why she picked it: it's a heartwarming story which BookBairn can no doubt relate to with a favourite toy who goes everywhere; it's incredibly beautifully illustrated with Christmas trees that fascinate little BookBairn and it comes with a brilliant (and free) audiobook so she can read it herself.

In the story, little Noah is going Christmas shopping with his mummy, sister Evie-May and, of course, his favourite soft toy elephant, Oliver. They go to the big store and find presents for everyone on their list and Noah and Oliver get up to little bits of mischief as they shop. When the shopping is finally all done they pop to the café for a slice of cake and, just as they get ready to leave, Noah discovers that Oliver is missing! I don’t want to spoil the ending – but there’s a little bit of Christmas magic to make it a happy one!

It is written in rhyme so makes a brilliant story to read aloud. In fact, the first time we read it BookBairn wasn't that fussed so I sat on the floor and started to read and she was simply drawn in and onto my lap. As we read the final words she said "read it again mummy!"

We love Helen Stephens’s illustrations – they are absolutely adorable. There are several beautiful spreads of Noah and his family inside the department store with a huge Christmas tree in the centre towering over all the shoppers. It is perfect! The perfect Christmas scene. Bringing to life the magic of this time of year.

There are so many things that we can relate to in this book: trying to take two kids shopping at Christmas time seems a daunting prospect and I can imagine my BookBairn would get up to mischief just like Noah. She also has a very favourite cuddly toy – Louis the lion (tucked up beside BookBairn in these photos) – who goes everywhere with us! Fortunately, we’ve never had that moment of panic when it disappears (we also have two, just in case!). And the shop looks remarkably like a big department store in Edinburgh (so I message Helen Stephens and as local-ish artist she said she couldn't help letting a little bit of that store seep into the illustration).

And as I mentioned it has a free audiobook. Many of the books by the publisher Nosy Crow are part of their Stories Aloud smartphone audio book series and all you have to do is scan the QR code on the inside flap to hear the story read aloud. BookBairn really does love this. She is becoming more independent in her 'reading' and she wants to read by herself. This lets her do that. And there's even a wee bell sound to tell her when to turn the pages. She quite happily listens and reads away for ages all by herself.

Personally, I would choose this one simply because I love the normality of it, and whilst there is magic in how Oliver finds his way back to Noah – it’s real magic – no fairies, elves or pixie dust. This is a timely reminder that real life is just as magic as the mythical.

Do you have a favourite festive read?

Happy festive reading,

Mummy, BookBairn and Louis xx

*Disclaimer: These books were sent to us by the publisher and we were truly delighted to receive them. Words and opinions are our own.

It's that time of year when everyone starts to get excited, snow may start tumbling from the sky, trees are adorned with lights and you can hear the bells and songs of Christmas chiming everywhere. And yet... some people say "bah-humbug". I don't think Daddy BookBairn will mind me saying that he's a bit of a Grinch for much of this time of year: he hates getting the decorations out of the loft, he hates the shops being so busy and the seasonal commuters, he hates the pressure of buying gifts, he hates Christmas cards and wrapping presents. But he does love watching BookBairn enjoy Christmas - because that's what Christmas is really about. It's about meeting up with friends and family, it's about being amongst our loved ones.

When your #bookpost matches your jumper choice.

And deep down, I think that's what the story of The Grinch is all about. It tells the story of the Grinch who lives on the outskirts of Who-ville who hates Christmas: hates the noise, the feasting, the singing. So one year he decides to stop Christmas from coming. He dresses as Father Christmas, and dresses his dog as a reindeer, and sneaks down all the chimneys in Who-ville removing all the presents, stockings, turkeys and even the trees, until not a trace of Christmas is left. He even took the log from the fire! And yet the next morning, when he listens for the crying he expects, he hears merry singing. How can that be?

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas ... perhaps ... means a little bit more."

The Grinch, full of regret, finds his heart grows three sizes that day he returns all the toys, turkey and trimmings and joins in the festivities. Maybe Christmas isn't so bad after all?

But, for me this story, isn't just a tale about finding merriness in our family and friends this festive season. It's also about noticing the outsider. It's about making sure no one is left out. Every year we donate to our local Toy Drive which gives Christmas gifts and food hampers to those considered most in need in our local community. Nobody should be without a stocking, food and family on Christmas day (or any other day for that matter).

So to all the Grinches out there: join in the singing. And to the rest of us: let's help them feel welcomed.

To celebrate the Grinch turning 60 this year we have a copy to give away!!

*UPDATE* This competition is now closed and the winner has been notified!
***We have a copy of How the Grinch Stole Christmas to give away. If you would like to win a copy please comment below with your least favourite part of Christmas. (Additional entries will be available so keep an eye out by following us on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.) UK residents only please. Competition closes Friday 15.12.17. ***

Happy Grinchmas!

Mummy and BookBairn xx

*DISCLAIMER* I was given our book for free for review purposes, however, all words and opinions are my own.

Time for one final Christmas Gift Guide and this time it's for the big kids! As you know, my expertise lies in baby and toddler friendly books but I do occasionally come across a book aimed at older children that I just love. That's not to say these aren't great for younger kids but I think older children might get the subtleties of these a bit more.

This Book is a Planetarium by Kelli Anderson

Before I begin I should say that this is a pricey book. But it is worth every penny. Much more than a book - who knew humble paper could be so versatile! This is hands down one of the most amazing books I have seen this year. Because it’s not only a book: it’s a working planetarium projecting the constellations, a code cracker, an infinite calendar, a musical instrument, a speaker for playing music amplified from your phone and a spiralgraph! Defying all expectations of what paper can achieve! And perfect for Daddy BookBairn’s Christmas or Papa BookBairn or any big kid who loves a gadget! Honestly, this is just amazing!!! Round of applause to everyone involved in producing this one. I’m astounded!

Big Words for Little Geniuses by Susan and James Patterson and illustrated by Hsinping Pan

"Bibliomania (bib-lee-oh-MAY-nee-ah) You have bibliomania if you love to collect as many books as you can." - sound like anyone you know?

This is just genius! Actually genius! It's even in the title. Now BookBairn is a smart cookie and I like words (does that make me sound like a geek?) but many of these are new to me. Instead of typical ABC word books - Apple, Ball, Cat... this books chooses not to dumb it down for our little wordsmiths with Arachibutyrophobia, Bibliomania, Catawampus... So much fun! The illustrations are spectacular and parents will learn a thing or two too. Now it's perhaps more fun for grown ups than kids but I think big kids will enjoy having a go at saying the big words and she certainly find it funny when grown ups trip over saying them! A great gift for bookish parents like me to share with their little geniuses!

Secrets of our Earth: A Shine-a-Light Book by Carron Brown and Wesley Robins

This is such a brilliant series of books and there's a perfect book for every interest. I chose this one to share because it features two of BookBairn's favourite things - humpback whales and wind turbines (Daddy makes them at his work). These are great non-fiction books where every page is missing part of the illustration and to reveal it all you have to do is shine a torch underneath the page and voila it appears! Pack full of facts and an interactive element that will be just as fun for older as younger readers you won't even notice that you are learning along the way. We have picked up a couple of these to give this Christmas and with so many to choose from there's one for everyone! We are pairing ours with a torch so that kids can get stuck in on Christmas morning and find those hidden pictures! (You can find the whole series here.)

Nibbles: The Dinosaur Guide by Emma Yarlett

You know how much we love Nibbles! He's the little yellow monster with an insatiable appetite and his favourite thing to nibble on is books! And this time he's chomped his way into a book all about dinosaurs. But this time he comes up against creatures far more fearsome than those in fairytales. What will happen when he stumbles into chapters about triceratops, velociraptors and the T-Rex? Who will be top of the food chain? Such a fun and clever book which is great for a wide audience of readers as it works on many different levels. The illustrations are delicious, the jokes are laugh out loud and you can learn a thing or two about dinosaurs. BookBairn loves this one but it will appeal to older kids too. We are giving a copy to a big little dinosaur fan that we know who has just learned to read himself (so proud of you toots!) and I hope he will enjoy reading this one on his own!

Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers

What do you need to know about living here on Earth? The basics. In Oliver Jeffers newest picture book he explains those basic fundamental things for his newborn son. And he covers it all so beautifully, our solar system, land, water, humans, animals, life, questions, answers. And as always he illustrates it beautifully. This might be my favourite book of the year. (But I'll save that for another blog post!). If you don't buy a copy of this for a big kid you know you need to buy a copy for yourself. And get yourself a nice cup of tea and sit and enjoy every page.

In fact, I think I'll do that right now.

Check out our previous gift guides: babies, toddlers, grown ups - click on the appropriate title. Happy gift shopping! And remember to treat yourself too!

Happy Christmas Shopping,

Mummy and the elves xx

Disclaimer: these are all my choices. Some were sent from publishers but they were not sent in connection with this post. Their inclusion here is my choice. Because I really do think they are great.

It's December so now we can finally crack out the festive books! Except of course, most of ours are wrapped up as part of our Advent Book Tree. Fortunately I took a few photos of those festive gems that are hidden inside. Here are the 24 books that BookBairn is set to unwrap this month... (I hope she might let her brother have a go at ripping the paper too but I doubt it!)

Last Stop on the Reindeer Express - Maudie Powell-Tuck & Karl James Mountford

Mia's dad can't make it home for Christmas so she wants to find a way to at least get a card to him via a mysterious postbox. And off she is whisked on an unforgettable adventure but will she reach her dad in time? And little readers can join in the journey via peek-through pages and hidden flaps! This is a festive adventure that evokes all the magic of Christmas but at it's centre is family - and isn't that just the way it should be?! And you can see from the cover that it's beautiful! Intricate illustrations and rich colours make you feel like Christmas is just jumping off the page!

Make and Play Nativity - Joey Chou

This is such a brilliant festive activity book where children can assemble their very own nativity scenes. Featuring all the main characters from the nativity story, children press-out and slot together the pieces to bring the story to life! The illustrations are just lovely and will be great for teaching BookBairn the story (it's only her third Christmas so I doubt she remembers it). I cannot wait for her to unwrap this! I really really can't!

Listen to the Christmas Songs - Marion Billet

BookBairn adores this series of books and I'm certain she's going to love this one too. Starring six festive songs - We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells, He Has a Red Red Coat, O Christmas Tree and Santa Clause is coming to town. Not just the music but the words too - older kids can read along and younger ones can learn the song by listening. The illustrations are lovely! So deceptively simple but utterly charming!

The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker - Jessica Courtney-Tickle

Another musical book but this one evokes my own childhood of going to the ballet at Christmas time with my mum. The story of The Nutcracker is a perfect read at Christmas and what could help bring it to life better than if you read along whilst listening to Tchaikovsky's beautiful music? Follow little Clara on her magical adventure and watch the battle between the nutcracker and the mouse king, meet the SugarPlum Fairy and journey to the Land of Sweets, all the while pressing the musical note buttons to hear 10 seconds of music from the ballet. It is also beautifully illustrated and will fill little ones with wonder! I love this one so much that I have added the rest of The Story Orchestra series to my wish list!

Also in our advent tree:

Guess How Much I Love You in Winter - Sam McBratney & Anita Jeram
Miffy in the Snow - Dick Bruna
The Christmas Bear - Ian Whybrow & Axel Scheffler
Winter - David Carter
Let it Glow: A Winter Walk - Owen Gildersleeve
Snow - Sam Usher
That's Not My Santa - Fiona Watt & Rachel Wells
Nativity Flap Book - Sam Taplin & Rosalinde Bonnet
Dear Santa - Rod Campbell
Bizzy Bear: Christmas Helper - Benji Davies
A Letter for Bear - David Lucas
Away in a Manger - Igloo Books
Christmas Treasure Book - Roger Priddy
Little Christmas Tree - Jessica Courtney-Tickle & Ruth SymonsPop-Up Peekaboo Christmas - DK Books
Countdown to Christmas - Stuart Lynch
It's Christmas - Tracey Corderoy & Tim Warnes
Jack Frost - Kazuno Kohara
Bear and Hare: Snow! - Emily Gravett
Snow - Walter de la Mare & Carolina Rabei

I hope you enjoyed seeing what is hidden inside our book tree! And even more so I hope BookBairn will enjoy unwrapping each one. And so the season begins...

Do you have a favourite festive read?

Happy unwrapping,

Mummy x

It's nearly December!! And that means it's time for another book advent countdown! I thought I would pop a quick post on to share with you some inspiration and tips if you fancy the idea. I'll share the books I've wrapped up in a blog post on the 1st!

So I'm pretty proud of how gorgeous my 'book tree' looks this year! I saw that irresistible paper in Paperchase and picked it up exactly for this purpose. And I couldn't find last years lights so I picked these little stars up and I like them better anyway.

Ok, so you might think wrapping up 24 books would be time-consuming but it really didn't take that long - books are pretty easy to wrap. But if you don't fancy wrapping them up - you could make it easy by buying a nice gift bag or box and popping a new book inside each day to create the same surprise! Or Catherine at Story Snug has a great idea for an alternative to wrapping 24 books over on her blog (you can find the direct link here).

And I say 'new books' - that sounds pretty expensive, right? But first these books don't have to be new - you could do what I do and hide books when you take down your Christmas decorations and then take them back out again next year. But still that means 24 books. Or maybe not? Last year, I borrowed several from the library and wrapped them - simply renewing them before they were due back or making sure they got unwrapped early in month. But you can't really borrow 24 books so you might have to get some if you only want festive books (alternatively your kids will be just as excited by books they already have because it's all about the surprise!). You could get some cheap book packs from The Book People or The Works or pick them up in charity shops.

If you are look for more inspiration, tomorrow, Claire, from 'PlayHooray', will be sharing her some great #xmasadventbooks that her Instagram followers have been sharing. And we got a little fanmail of our own from the lovely Cassie at 'Mummy on a Budget'.

So in love with our book advent calendar for this year. Thanks to @play.hooray for the early reminder to hunt our book stash out and update it. And thanks to @bookbairn for the inspiration of the tree paper. Fairy is from my childhood and holds so many memories. The kids will have a calendar each as my lovely niece has also put one together for them! Can't wait to start opening them and reading lots of new stories. #christmas2017 #bookadvent #bookadventcalendar #xmasbookadvent #xmasadventbooks #playhooray

A post shared by Cassie, Mummy on a Budget (@mummyonabudget) on Nov 29, 2017 at 6:24am PST

This really made my day! And if you read what we were up to today (in our previous post) you can see it was a brilliant bookish one!

If you do decide to create a book countdown, I would love to see it so please tag us in your photos!

Happy counting down!

Mummy, BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner xxx

Last year I had great fun creating a Christmas countdown for my little BookBairn. She was a bit too young to 'get' that we were counting down to something but she did have great fun practising her unwrapping skills and by Christmas Day she was pretty good at tearing the paper off her gifts! So I thought I would do the same this year. As you know, she loves a bit of book post and hopefully this will be just as fun!

Obviously, 24 books could be a rather expensive outlay but as I got several last year, I'm just topping up with a few from the library and with some new releases that I couldn't resist and re-wrapping most of the same ones from last year. Five of our favourites from last year that we reviewed last year will definitely be top of the re-wrap list. (It's worth clicking on the link if you want to see some pictures of teeny tiny BookBairn especially as I haven't got pictures of her with this year's books to keep the secret.) But I thought I would share with those five that I couldn't resist.

The Christmas Bear by Ian Whybrow and Axel Scheffler

BookBairn loves the Tales from Acorn Wood series and I have no doubt that she is going to be thrilled to see some of her old favourites appear in this festive tale. This is the tale of the Christmas toy Bear who has been left behind in Santa's rush to leave. He has to make his way under the tree of the little boy who is waiting for him all by himself. Except all the animals help along the way. Told with silly rhymes such as "bees on skis", "duck in a truck" and "sardine in a submarine" it will make grown ups and little ones giggle alike. For those of you who loved Oi Frog or Oi Dog, and who enjoy Axel Scheffler's instantly recognisable illustrations this is a perfect festive read! As if that's not enough, it has lift-the-flaps to keep little ones busy whilst adults try to get their mouths around the tongue-twisting phrases!

Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda

I have recently discovered that interactive books for little ones don't always need to sing and dance, with lift-the-flaps or touch and feel or pop up elements to get their utmost attention. Bunny Slopes is the perfect example of this sort of story. Bunny is trying to make his way home down the mountain slopes but there's no snow. Little readers simple have to shake the book and turn the page to make the snow appear, tilt the book to help Bunny down the slope and turn the book to help Bunny overcome the obstacles in his path. With an irresistible main character this book will no doubt entertain little ones on those cold winter evenings. But you might want to have a cup of hot cocoa at the ready!

Countdown to Christmas by Stuart Lynch

It wouldn't be a countdown to Christmas without this one in the list! BookBairn is beginning to sequence numbers and can now count to six without help. This book is going to be great fun to help her along with her counting. Starting at 10, this book counts down lots of festive elements through 9, 8, 7 wrapped presents (not 24 books!), 6, 5, 4 stockings, 3, 2, 1 Santa on his sleigh. Featuring spreads that have one page with raised shaped objects that neatly fit into the scooped cutouts on the opposite page, they are such a wonderful multi-sensory books with key Christmas vocabulary and numbers. BookBairn loved tracing her fingers over the raised and cutout shapes of the Touch Think Learn books so I'm sure she will adore this book too. Not to mention I adore the cute illustrations so I just couldn't resist it!

Little Christmas Tree by Jessica Courtney-Tickle and Ruth Symons

This is a beautiful book sharing with little ones the change of the seasons from autumn to winter and showing the beautiful flora and fauna of the chilly winter months. Beautifully illustrated with delicate attention to detail and including some silver foil elements truly make the pages shine! Under each flap (of which there are several on a page) little readers can discover another creature or plant that you might find in a wintry forest. Accompanied by a poetic phrase on each page, this a beautifully magical exploration of a winter's forest.

Bizzy Bear: Christmas Helper by Benji Davis

I had not yet discovered this fantastic series of Bizzy Bear books but I'm so glad that I've found them now! Bizzy Bear is an adorable little bear who is helping Santa get ready for Christmas Eve and to deliver the parcels to the homes of good boys and girls. It's unbelievable to think that something could outshine Benji Davis's adorable illustrations but the movement mechanisms in this book are simply genius! In a similar way to the First Stories series of books, BookBairn is going to love poking her fingers in the 'slide holes' and pulling the tabs to reveal additional pictures. Perfect for improving her fine-motor and problem solving skills!

I'd best start the wrapping now! It's going to take a few nap times to get them all wrapped up! I'll be sharing photos of her unwrapping on our social media which you can find all the links to at the top of the page and I will pop any reviews of BookBairn's favourites as we unwrap them.

We would love to know what you will be reading this Christmas time! We are always on the lookout for good book recommendations!

Happy Advent,

Mummy and BookBairn xx

*DISCLAIMER* We requested copies of Bunny Slopes and Little Christmas Tree from their respective publishers and I bought the other books myself. All words and opinions are, as always, my own.