Christmas is all about stories. As nights grow long and temperatures drop, we want to drift into dreams. Quests, feasts, danger and delight are all part of the mix. For Christmas Eve, Clement C Moore’s 1823 poem “’Twas The Night Before Christmas” is a must-read, and the great illustrator PJ Lynch (Walker, £12.99) has given us a version suffused with winter magic, all warmth and shivery loveliness, for ages 3 to 93.
Tom Gauld’s The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess (Templar, £12.99) is a subversive fable about sibling affection – enjoyably quirky for 3-7, and adult fans of his Guardian cartoon strip will love it too. A Tale of Two Dragons by Geraldine McCaughrean & Peter Malone (Andersen £12.99) is a gently satirical and gorgeously illustrated fable about two warring kingdoms learning to share their blessings via a pair of fire-breathing dragons, who guard the border between them. Recommended for 4-6.
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