Just Right
The king finds the perfect soft, red cloth to make the princess a cloak for Christmas. Once the cloak is made, the leftover cloth is put outside where, in turn, it is found by someone and made into a different present. Each gift gets smaller and smaller as the leftover cloth diminishes – but it’s still just right – until the last teeny bit of cloth is used to make a scarf for the smallest mouse to keep him warm from the winter chill. Rhythmical writing and vibrant and energetic pictures bring to life this lovely story with a perfect Christmas message that giving to your loved ones is just as much fun as receiving.
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Excerpt: Bertie Badger trotted past Jenny’s house. What should he see but a little bundle of beautiful bright red scraps.
“Oooh!” he said. “That cloth is so red and soft and Christmassy! It would be just right to make a hat for my Pa!”
Kate B says: Birdie Black has written a Christmas story that really is “just right”: it’s funny, kind and full of Christmas cheer, and we all know we’ve got a classic on our hands. The icing on the Christmas cake is that Just Right is illustrated by the undeniably brilliant Rosalind Beardshaw, whose popular artwork is always full of wit and warmth. In this particular instance – joy, oh, joy – we really feel she’s created something truly goosebump-inducingly special.
It has to be said, when the artwork came in (on time, to the very minute) it brought a tear to the Nosy Crow collective eye. A happy tear.
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Reviews
“A different and wholly charming picture book”
“A heartwarming Christmas story […] The text has some repeated phrases with which children will be joining in by the end. The illustrations by Rosalind Beardshaw create a warm glow and have a fairy-tale quality to them. I especially love the final double-page spread which sees the givers, the recipients and all the soft red Chrismassy presents skating on the pond.”
“This gentle, feel-good story about the joy of giving is complimented by sweet illustrations and is the perfect book for Christmas time.”
“A warm and colourful picture book that celebrates Christmas and the joy of giving […] A delightful story and illustrations with quirky appeal.”
“A perfectly rounded tale of loving and caring and giving […] Recommended for children aged 3 upwards, this is a lovely book to share as a family.”
“Heartwarming without being the least bit schmaltzy, both kids and adults will adore the toasty message of this story – packed with festive spirit. Soft, divine illustrations make this a must-have book for collectors – or anyone who celebrates the spirit of Christmas.”
“A delightful and fun picture book with a warm heart and an important message. The book is ideal bedtime reading for any child over two in the run-up to Christmas and beyond […] The writing is rhythmic with just the right amount of repetition and the vibrant and beautiful pictures bring the story to life. Just Right is destined to become a Christmas classic.
“Here’s a Christmas story that really is ‘just right’ for kids aged three and over. It’s funny, kind and so full of Christmas cheer that it brings out the goosebumps. Beardshaw’s vibrant pictures ooze wit and warmth and the rhythmical writing helps little ones understand that giving to your loved ones is just as much fun as receiving.”
“This vibrant English picture book was my pick of the bunch […] It’s Christmas Eve in a wintry kingdom and the king, strolling in the market, buys a beautiful roll of red cloth that’s ‘just right for a grand cloak for the princess’. The princess gets her lovely cloak but there’s lots of cloth left over, which is chucked out and found by a kitchen maid, who thinks the offcuts will make a perfect jacket for her mother. And so it goes, with various people and creatures delightedly picking up other’s scraps, until the end of the chain when a little mouse receives a snazzy red scarf from his mum. Everyone is happy and it’s ‘just how Christmas should feel’.”
“A cheerful wintry tale with wide appeal in which a piece of red material makes Christmas presents for everyone from a princess to a mouse.”
“This charming book by Birdie Black contains a truly joyful Christmas message – that giving to your loved ones is just as much fun as receiving.”
“Just Right is a lovely Christmas story for young readers focusing on what should be important at this time of year. It is my favourite Christmas book published this year for the younger end of the age-range.”
“It’s hard to find a Christmas book that’s about giving without coming across all preachy (you can’t fool kids: Christmas is about receiving) but Just Right by Birdie Black and Rosalind Beardshaw delivers a warm glow with its waste-not-want-not message. The story follows a roll of cloth – “so red and soft and Christmassy” – as it makes a cloak for a princess with the leftover scraps passing down a human/animal hierarchy until it becomes a scarf for a mouse.”