It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Nosy Crow office… By which I mean about seventy parcels arrive at the office every day as the Crows get going on their Christmas shopping (Ola is currently in danger of being buried in an avalanche of Kate’s purchases that are stacked behind our desks – see above).
If you’re stuck for a really great Christmas present, we just happen to have published lots of rather lovely Christmas books this year that might catch your eye. Here’s a round-up of all of our favourite Christmas titles from our list so far, from old favourites like Snow Bunny to fab new titles like Christmas for Greta and Gracie.
Just Right for Christmas, written by Birdie Black and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw:
One snowy Christmas eve, the king buys some soft red cloth to make a cloak for the princess – little does he know that the left-over cloth will be used to make presents for many more of the kingdom’s inhabitants, right down to the last teeny bit of cloth made into a scarf, which is just right for the smallest mouse to protect him from the winter chill.
The very first Nosy Crow Christmas book to be published, Just Right for Christmas is a heart-warming tale about the joy of giving at Christmas, with a ‘waste not, want not’ message!
Take a look inside:
Olivia’s Winter Wonderland by Lyn Gardner
It’s winter at the Swan Academy, and that means panto! While Olivia practises being the back end of a horse, everyone else is auditioning for a major new movie. Soon the school is full of rivalry and suspicion, nasty tricks and strange mysteries. To lighten the mood, Eel organises a festive ice-skating trip. But as the skaters twirl and leap among the twinkling lights, Olivia realises that the season of goodwill is anything but…
This is the fifth book in Lyn Gardner’s brilliant Olivia series, and it makes a perfect wintry read to cuddle up with this Christmas, with enough pantomime, skating, mystery and intrigue to keep you occupied until the New Year!
Take a look inside:
Snow Bunny’s Christmas Wish and Snow Bunny’s Christmas Gift, illustrated by Rebecca Harry:
These books will always be some of my favourite Christmas titles, with just the right amount of adorable animals, snowy scenes, and glittering foil on every spread! In the first book, a small bunny goes in search of Santa to ask him to make her Christmas wish come true. In the second book, Snow Bunny and her friends love to play together in the snow, but when the weather turns colder, no one wants to play anymore. It is up to Snow Bunny to save the day with some much-needed Christmas gifts!
Take a look inside Snow Bunny’s Christmas Wish:
Take a look inside Snow Bunny’s Christmas Gift:
Pip and Posy: The Snowy Day by Axel Scheffler:
Pip and Posy discover the highs and lows of snowman-building in this lovely seasonal picture book, leading to my favourite ever scene in Axel Scheffler’s wonderful Pip and Posy series, which involves poor Pip being hit with a rather large snow-mouse head. Needless to say, an argument ensues, but everyone makes friends again before bedtime.
Take a look inside:
Bizzy Bear: Christmas Helper by Benji Davies:
Bizzy Bear gets a very festive makeover as he helps Father Christmas get ready for the big day! This most recent addition to the fantastic Bizzy Bear novelty series by the brilliant Benji Davies is bound to thrill any young fans of Bizzy Bear this Christmas.
Can You Say It Too? Jingle! Jingle! illustrated by Sebastien Braun:
Another festive addition to the great Can You Say It Too novelty series, Can You Say It Too: Jingle, Jingle has five spreads of lovely illustrations by Sebastien Braun, big, recessed flaps and a host of festive friends to spot, name and mimic. A delightful little board book to share with the very young this Christmas.
Christmas for Greta and Gracie by Yasmeen Ismail:
This is a truly gorgeous book from award-winning author-illustrator Yasmeen Ismail about sibling relationships at Christmas. Whether you have older siblings or younger siblings, you’re sure to recognise the dynamic between these two very different sisters, and appreciate the sweetly satisfying end to the tale! A perfect book to share in the exciting run-up to Christmas.
Take a look inside Christmas for Greta and Gracie:
Violet Rose and the Very Snowy Winter by Jannie Ho:
A fantastic book to whip out during the long Christmas holidays, this is the second title in the gorgeous Violet Rose series, written and illustrated by Jannie Ho. We all had a lot of fun putting together the 3D press-outs and sticking the stickers in when these books first arrived in the office – and with even more activities available online, this book is sure to keep children entertained for hours.
Take a look inside:
Poles Apart, written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Jarvis:
Everybody knows that penguins belong at the South Pole and polar bears live at the North Pole – but what would happen if, one day, a family of picnicking penguins accidentally got lost? When the hapless Pilchard-Brown family find themselves at completely the wrong pole, they need Mr White, the friendly polar bear, to guide them all the way home. . .
Jarvis’s beautiful and distinctive illustrations combine with Jeanne Willis’s witty and thoughtful prose to make Poles Apart a really stand-out wintry story about following your dreams, and finding your way home.
Take a look inside:
Hubble Bubble: The Wacky Winter Wonderland, written by Tracey Corderoy and illustrated by Joe Berger:
If you’re looking for some fantastically festive young fiction, then look no further than Pandora antics with her… unusual grandma, in Hubble Bubble: The Wacky Winter Wonderland, the latest book in Tracey Corderoy and Joe Berger’s Hubble Bubble series. Find out what happens when a naughty toddler waves Granny’s wand in a posh shop. Can Granny build a raft that doesn’t sink? And enjoy a visit to Winter Wonderland with some surprises in store…
Take a look inside:
And last, but by no means least, this list wouldn’t be complete without our most recent Christmas book, Refuge, written by Anne Booth and illustrated by Sam Usher.
A timely and timeless retelling of the Christmas story, written by Anne Booth and illustrated by Sam Usher, we published this book in November in support of refugees, with £5 from the sale of each book going to War Child. You can read more about the story behind the book here, and here is a peek inside:
There should something on this list for just about anyone, from very endearing novelty and activity books, to beautiful picture books, to enthralling fiction to take you right through the holidays. And why not take a look at our Gifts page too, for a great companion present for one of our books!
