Books for Giving Christmas 2015
From so called Super Thursday onwards each year, the publishing industry goes into overdrive, and thousands of books are published with an eye on that place under the tree or in the stocking. But which books will they be truly thankful to receive, and which will still be favourites come spring? Andrea Reece plays Santa.
Picture books for Christmas
There are two picture books this year that capture the essence of Christmas: Refuge by Anne Booth and Sam Usher retells the story of the Nativity, subtly presenting the Holy Family as refugees relying on the kindness of strangers for food and shelter. The text is gentle and reassuring for the youngest reader, and the illustrations, black and grey wash lit up by bold splashes of yellow, show the family as real people in a difficult and frightening situation. £5 from every sale will go to the charity War Child. Less overtly Christian but conveying the same Christmas message of love, generosity and hope for the future is The Christmas Eve Tree by Delia Huddy and Emily Sutton. A battered little fir tree is picked out of the rubbish by a young homeless boy and ends up the centre of a warm and very special Christmas celebration. Emily Sutton’s illustrations have the air of folk art, and there’s a timeless feel to this book which ends on a splendid joyful image of new life.
Another picture book to warm the heart is Petr Horacek’s Blue Penguin. The little penguin is regarded with suspicion by the others because of his blue colour until he manages to win first one, then many more friends through his singing. Horacek’s textured, colour- rich artwork creates dramatically beautiful Antarctic scenes while the little penguin is a charmer.
Socks for Santa by Adam and Charlotte Guillain is a typically lively and funny story which reverses tradition by sending young George out with a present for Father Christmas. Lee Wildish’s illustrations are as exuberant as ever and there’s lots to ho ho ho at! There are twists, surprises and lots of laughs too in Chris Judge’s latest story of his now not-so-lonely Beast. The Snow Beast stars not one but two Beasts, and features some wonderful comic-strip-style chases and clever gags. Witty and inventive, this will brighten up long, dark evenings.
Traditional stories es
Look out for two new versions of The Nutcracker, very different but equally beautiful. Jane Ray’s version moves through the cheery colours of a traditional Christmas celebration to the delicious pale pinks and greens of Clara’s dream world, depicted in scenes full of sweets and candy, peopled by dancers from across the world. Niroot Puttapipat’s The Nutcracker is full of drama, vivid scenes created out of striking silhouettes against richly coloured backgrounds and with a wonderful pop-up to finish. Buy both! Jackie Morris’s version of The Wild Swans is a gem, her telling inspired equally by the natural landscape and the magic of the story, and her illustrations as beautiful as ever.
Festive favourites
Christmas is a time for old friends, and there are beautiful new editions of classics in bookshops. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of Edward Ardizzone’s Little Tim, Frances Lincoln are reissuing the books as sturdy hardbacks, including Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain at the original size and with the hand-lettered type of the first edition. The stories can’t be beaten for excitement and adventure, and Ardizzone’s illustrations are still as fresh as the salty sea air Tim enjoys.
Michael Bond’s stories of Olga da Polga, the going-places guinea pig, are now available as a handsome hardback with illustrations by Catherine Rayner. Rayner gives Olga a scruffy, pick-upable vitality and equally tactile are her friends, Noel the cat, Graham the tortoise and – spectacularly so – Fangio the hedgehog, a spiky ball of splattered paint. Ruth Brown meanwhile has taken Anna Sewell’s classic Black Beauty and turned it into a picture book. Her painterly style is just right for the story and this will be enjoyed equally by those new to the original and those who already love Black Beauty’s story. Taking on the task of illustrating all seven Harry Potter books must have been daunting, but there’s no sign of trepidation in Jim Kay’s illustrations for the new colour editions. They put the strangeness – the magic even – back into stories now so familiar to young readers, and he finds darkness as well as humour. Scenes, settings and dramatis personae are represented in an extraordinary variety of compositions and techniques: there are full page portraits of the main characters in the style of the old masters while the landscapes and buildings have as much personality. No wonder JK Rowling is so pleased.
12 Books for Keeps No.215 November 2015
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