Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Festive and Christmas Children's Book and Gift Delights - 2023

 

Introducing our delightful festive children's book picks for Christmas 2023! Immerse your little ones and old ones in the magic of the season with enchanting stories, colorful illustrations, and heartwarming characters that will captivate your imagination. From tales of Santa's adventures to stories about friendship and the true meaning of Christmas, our book recommendations are sure to bring joy and wonder to your family's holiday celebrations. Get ready to embark on a memorable literary journey filled with holiday cheer!

Eoin Colfer (Author), Chaya Prabhat (Illustrator)  - Juniper's Christmas - Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books (26 Oct. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008475536 - Hardback - Age: 8+

A brand-new Christmas classic adventure about the magic of Santa Claus, set in North London and the North Pole – from the bestselling author of Artemis Fowl

IT ALL STARTED IN CHRISTMAS PAST . . .

It’s been ten years since Santa Claus performed his Christmas duties, but when Juniper Lane discovers the mysterious Niko, who lives in her local London park surrounded by Christmas trees and reindeer that can fly, she steps into a Christmas story like no other.

When Juniper’s mum goes missing and the park comes under threat from an ambitious park keeper, Juniper enlists Niko, who is surely Santa Claus, to help.

As the countdown to Christmas begins, Juniper must find her mother, restore the festive spirit, bring to life the true magic of the season and learn to ride her very own reindeer.

A brand-new festive classic, Juniper’s Christmas is a rip-roaring magical adventure filled with heart and humour – where one girl’s love might just be strong enough to save her family and Father Christmas himself.

Sophie Anderson (Author), Melissa Castrillion (Illustrator) - The Snow Girl - Published by Usborne Publishing (26 Oct. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1803704357 - Hardback - Age: 7+ 

From award-winning and critically acclaimed Sophie Anderson, comes a fairy-tale story of friendship, belonging and bravery, in an adventure through a winter wonderland. The perfect read for the whole family this Christmas.

I wish the snow girl would come to life. Then I would have a friend, a real friend I could trust, and I wouldn't feel so alone.

When Tasha builds a snow girl with her grandpa, all she wants is for her to be real. If only wishes on snow could come true... Then Tasha meets Alyana, a friend made of wishes, starlight, snowfall and magic. But when your best friend is made of winter, what do you do when spring comes?

Alex T Smith - The Nutcracker: And the Mouse King's Christmas Shenanigans - Published by Macmillan Children's Books (5 Oct. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1035028177 - Hardback - Age: 5+ 

A gorgeous retelling of children's Christmas classic The Nutcracker - a Christmas Story in twenty-four-and-a-half chapters. 

The Mouse King is up to some very sneaky shenanigans.

The night before Christmas, he steals the key to the Kingdom of Sweets and sets out to cause as much festive mayhem as he can!

Clara and Fritz Strudel, and their new friend the Nutcracker, are the only ones who can stop him. But when a magical curse is put on Fritz, it's a race against time to make it to the Kingdom of Sweets and find the Sugar Plum Fairy – the only one who can break the spell!

Can the adventurers stop the Mouse King's naughty plan and save Fritz, before it's too late?

With irresistible colour illustrations, a festively foiled cover and a chapter to enjoy each day in December, The Nutcracker And the Mouse King's Christmas Shenanigans is a gorgeous hardback, perfect for reading together.

J.R. Buchta (Author), Erin O'Leary Brown (Illustrator) - The Wonderful Once - Published by Warbucks Inc. (6 Oct. 2023) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8986989525 - Hardback - Age: 4+ 

"Most things in life happen over and over again.

Some things happen only once.

This is the story of a wonderful once."

A little boy goes on a fantastic Christmas adventure in this story of a kind gesture that results in a magical journey, full of stardust and snowflakes. It's an all-around feel-good story with a surprise ending and a powerful message. Brought to life by beautiful illustrations, this enchanting tale captures the spirit of Christmas and the magic of a single good deed that changed the world forever. It has all the makings of an annual read for families at Christmastime and a fresh look at some age-old traditions that will surely capture the interest of readers around the world.

Why Readers Love The Wonderful Once: A Christmas Story:

• A new family Christmas tradition for readers around the world
• Teaches kids the values of giving and kindness that will last throughout the year
• A feel-good tale for readers of all ages (0-102)
• Makes a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer for children, parents, grandparents, and teachers
• Screen-free family time during the cold winter months and holiday season

New Children's Book Picks November 2022 - UK Post - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Fleur Hitchcock - Murder at Snowfall - Published by Nosy Crow (3 Nov. 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1839945908 - Paperback - Reading Age: 8+

A gripping thriller for readers who like danger and mystery and chills and spills from the comfort of their sofas... Unputdownable.

When Lucas and Ruby find an abandoned trunk covered in snow, Lucas says there's bound to be a body inside. Ruby laughs but what if he's right? Nervously she starts to open it, and immediately wishes she hadn't. From that moment on, they're drawn into a thrilling mystery, one that they have to solve before the falling snow smothers all trace of wrongdoing...

Katharine Orton - Mountainfell - Published by  Walker Books (3 Nov. 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529503296 - Paperback - Reading Age: 9

There is nothing more dangerous than magic... 
Eleven-year-old Erskin is used to danger; she lives in the shadow of Mountainfell, a place of wild creatures and dangerous magic. When the most powerful and deadly creature of all – the fearsome cloud dragon – snatches Erskin’s sister away, Erskin must face her greatest fear and journey onto the mountain to bring her back. A terrible power is stirring, and it is up to Erskin to save both her family and her home.

Allison Rushby - The Ghost Locket - Published by Walker Books (3 Nov. 2022) -ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529505993 - Paperback - Reading Age: 8+

A classic Christmas ghost story set in a haunted historic house - for fans of Emma Carroll and Lucy Strange.

It's Christmas, and eleven-year-old Lolli must return to London and break a promise she made to herself ― to never again step foot in the Victorian historic house in Spitalfields managed by her family.

There, Lolli must face up to what she saw in the house several years ago and make things right for two ghosts - one friendly and one decidedly not - opening her guarded heart to people in both the living and twilight worlds.

Alex Bell (Author), Tomislav Tomic (Illustrator)  - Explorers at Stardust City -  Faber & Faber  (3 Nov. 2022) - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571359752 - Paperback - Reading Age: 8+

Directly below was a sight none of them had ever seen before - a kind of spiral, with glowing ruby-red lights that curved outwards like tentacles.In the middle was a dark circle, inky black. It had the look of a really, really deep well.

Ursula and her friends are in a race against time. The Collector has taken Stella captive, and is hungrily snatching up all the beautiful places of the world in her snow globe prisons. She needs to be stopped, but first they must find her.

To aid them in their quest, the explorers seek help from new allies, including a Pirate Queen, with a ghost ship that can defy time and space, and then take to the skies in a galaxy fairy rocket. But their journey is fraught with danger, as the future of the planet hangs in the balance.

Escape into a sensational world filled with space moles, sea goblins and giant sharks, all covered with a sprinkling of moon dust!

Festive Guest Post - Amy Ephron - The Other Side of the Wall - Tess & Max’s Top Ten Favorite Things about London at Christmastime

Today on Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books we have a wonderful guest post by Los Angeles based author Amy Ephron. We're going to take a winter festive walk with Max and Tess looking at their top favourite things to do in London at Christmas time.  

What would you do? 

Check out the post for inspiration and take a walk on The Other Side. If you would like to read my book review then please click the link below. Thank you for reading and have a GREAT Christmas. 
                             
                            The Other Side of the Wall by Amy Ephron
            Philomel Books | Hardcover ISBN: 9781984813275 | $16.99 |Ages 8-12
                     Mr. Ripleys Enchanted Books - BOOK REVIEW HERE
                                              
                                               ABOUT THE BOOK:
In this new adventure with Tess and Max, internationally bestselling author Amy Ephron takes readers to London at Christmastime, where a new fantastical journey awaits.

It’s Christmas break and Tess and Max are in London, staying at the posh Sanborn House with their Aunt Evie. As they wait for their parents to arrive, there is an unusual snowstorm that makes the city seem as if it's caught in a snow globe. Perfect weather for an adventure in Hyde Park. But when Max, Tess, and Aunt Evie leave to search for a cab, they find a horse and carriage and driver curiously waiting for them at the curb. And that's just the beginning...

Soon Tess is charmed by a mysterious boy named Colin who lives at the hotel all year round--on the 8th floor. But Max is sure the elevator only had 7 floors the day before. And how come everyone at the hotel seems to ignore Colin? Things seem to get stranger and stranger. There's a 1920s costume party in Colin's parents' apartment. A marble that seems to be more than it appears. And a shadow that passes mysteriously by Tess and Max's hotel window.

Tess & Max’s Top Ten Favorite Things about London at Christmastime

1. Ride the London Eye, the big Ferris wheel, and marvel at the Christmas decorations sparkling all over the city. (Hope Tess doesn’t have to rescue anyone.) 

2. Have tea at Harrods. (No Nutella, please.) 

3. Go to Hyde Park, especially if it’s lightly snowing. 

4. Watch the ceremony of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. 

5. Shop at a bookstore and check out the mysteries as their Dad likes British mysteries. Check out the poetry section for something that would appeal to their mom. Persuade Aunt Evie that they both need new chapter books. Max might even distract Aunt Evie, while Tess buys a book about British birds and hides it in her backpack for Aunt Evie to open on Christmas, too. 

6. Go to Victoria skateboard park. Awesome 

7. Convince Aunt Evie to take a drive in the blue Bentley all the way to Hampton Court. And, once there, try to navigate their way through the maze. (Careful, you never know what’s on the other side.) 

8. Split a prime rib dinner on Sunday night at a fancy pub in London. 

9. Wander Kew Gardens at night on their amazing new dark walk and explore the “immersive light trail.” 

10. Go to Portobello Market, the outdoor antique fair, with Aunt Evie. Hope Aunt Evie magically finds another matching glass to the crystal one that was their grandmother’s. and Tess finds a snowball with a horse and driver and carriage inside and when you turn it up-side-down and turn it right again, it looks as if snowflakes are falling all around the carriage and the cobblestoned street.

                                         (Photo by Katrina Dickson)
   About the Author

Amy Ephron (www.amyephron.com) is the author of The Castle in the Mist, her first book for young readers, which was nominated for a SCIBA Award, and of Carnival Magic, a companion book. Amy has also written several adult books, including A Cup of Tea, which was an international bestseller. Her novel One Sunday Morning received the Booklist Best Fiction of the Year and Best Historical Fiction of the Year awards and was a Barnes and Noble Book Club selection. She is a contributor and contributing editor at Vogue and Vogue.com, and her work has appeared in numerous other publications. She was also the executive producer of Warner Brothers' A Little Princess. Amy lives in Los Angeles with her husband; between them, they have five children. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @amyephron.

Sophie Plowden - The Children's Author of the Jack Dash Series - Mr Ripley's Festive Edition Q&A (Catnip)

This is the third festive interview Q&A. I would like to welcome Sophie Plowden, who is the author of the fantastic Jack Dash series. Two brilliant books to date have been fantastically illustrated by Judy Brown, who helps to bring Jack Dash's drawings to life. This series was published by the small and mighty Catnip Publishing Group. If you are looking for funny, action-packed stories for young readers then these are great gifts for this festive time. Fill the Christmas stockings with great books like these this year.  

Welcome Sophie and thank you for taking time to answer some questions. 

What would Jack Dash say about his books this Christmas?

I think he’d probably say that they make the most fantastic presents and you’d have to be leaking brain juice not to buy them.

Jack's magic feather makes whatever he draws come to life. What would he draw to bring Christmas to life?

I’m pretty sure he already did! In ‘Jack Dash and the Summer Blizzard’ he conjures up a snowstorm in the school playground, along with a hundred and eighteen penguins. Penguins make ideal stocking-fillers as they’re the perfect shape.

What makes you laugh?

Misunderstandings and minor injuries.

What can we expect next from Sophie next year?

Jack Dash 3 is coming out in September. I’m still wrestling with the title, but it features a cowboy, a castle and a Cake Off Competition.

Who would you have at a literary New Year dinner party and why? 

Dr Seuss, Lewis Carroll, Louis Sachar and Jane Austen would get along swimmingly. I’d also invite Peter Frankopan because of his Twitter feed and his magnificent name.

What book would you recommend to readers to get them into the winter/festive spirit?

Maurice Sendak’s ‘In the Night Kitchen’ is the lesser-known and distinctly weirder precursor to ‘Where the Wild Things Are.’ It lingers in the head for years because it’s magical, strange and dark.

Everyone loves books as gifts which book would you like to receive or give this Christmas?

I’d love to have the catalogue of Basquiat’s paintings, which are currently on exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London. It’s for this reason, I’m giving it to my husband.

What's the meaning of Christmas for you and your characters?

No school and family arguments – my characters and I are indistinguishable.

Are you any good at building a snowman/woman?

I live in London and there’s rarely enough snow to build anything much. I once managed a small conical structure – a sort of snow parsnip.

www.sophieplowden.co.uk

Daniel Whelan - Children's Author of The Box of Demons - Mr Ripley's Festive Edition Q&A

This is the second festive interview with many more fantastic ones to come. This one comes care of Daniel Whelan, who some of you might know from Harry Potter or maybe not :). He is the author of one of my personal favourite books The Box of Demons. It's a fantastic fantasy-fuelled story full of great humour that all young kids will really enjoy. The book cover above displays Chris Riddell's talent and who also features in the below Q&A. 

Thank you, Daniel, for taking part in the festive interview and welcome to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. 

The Box of Demons is fantastic book, what comes next?

Thank you! I’m not sure what’ll be out next. I’ve got two books on the go, one a bit more YA than The Box of Demons and one very firmly in Middle Grade. The YA-ish one is nearest to completion, but I keep cheating on it with the MG which has been a bit more fun to write. I’d hope to have one out in 2019, but that isn’t really down to me.

If your next book was illustrated, and you could choose any illustrator, who would it be and why?

If it were down to me, I’d pick Chris Riddell every time because he made the characters in The Box of Demons look better than I imagined them, and now it's quite hard when thinking of new ones not to wonder what Chris would make of them. Unfortunately for me Chris is very busy, so I can’t imagine I’d be lucky enough to work with him again.

I tend to favour quite cartoony or comicky illustrations. I love Sarah McIntyre’s stuff. There’s an author called Tatum Flynn who is also an artist, I’d love to work with her one day. And Marc Simonetti, who does the French covers for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, he’s great.

I’ve been a part of the Save Hari campaign to save Haringey’s Children’s Librarians - I live in Wales now, but as I’m Patron of Reading at North Harringay Primary School it’s part of my job to protect access to books for those kids - and all our artwork for that was done by Emer Stamp, who I think is marvellous. 

Which book monsters/authors would you have at a literary New Year dinner party and why? (or actor maybe?)

This Christmas belongs to one monster and one monster alone: Mr. Underbed. Hopefully he’d bring his creator Chris Riddell along with him, because Chris is such fantastic company. 

Actor-wise, Morven Christie would have to be first on the guest list. She’s one of my best friends, and one of the few people I trust with early drafts of things. We don’t see each other nearly enough: she’s in Scotland, I’m in Wales, so we have an entire country between us! I’d also have Charlie Hotson, Stephen Wight and his wife Chloe, and Sophie Angelson and her husband, the director James Kemp.

Finally - and I hope this isn’t stretching the question too much - I’d like to have Charles Dickens’s Mr. Fezziwig along. That guy knows how to party. If he could come in his Mr. Fozzywig aspect from The Muppets Christmas Carol, that’d be super.

What book would you recommend to readers to get them into the winter/festive spirit?

Terry Pratchett is a big influence on me, so I’d say check out Wintersmith, the third book in his Tiffany Aching sequence. He wrote a Christmas-ish Discworld too, The Hogfather, but I’m less keen on that one.

Everyone loves books as gifts which book would you like to receive this Christmas?

I’ve asked Father Christmas for Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, a couple of Thames and Hudson’s books on myth, and The Ultimate Visual History of Labyrinth, one of my all-time favourite films. We shall see if I have been nice enough this year!

What's the meaning of Christmas for you and your characters?

For me, it’s about warmth against the cold. Christmas falls just after the shortest and therefore darkest day of the year, and I think the collective brightness and joy of it lets us pull each other out of the gloom. Humans have always needed a Winter festival. Before Christianity, we celebrated the Winter Solstice; the Ancient Romans had Saturnalia. It’s rooted deep within us.

For my characters, I think Kartofel would be grumpy and cynical about Christmas while secretly loving it; the excessive food consumption would be right up Djinn’s street: and Orff would complain about the cold and what the darkness does to the Seasonal Affected Disorder he doesn’t really have. 

What's your favourite thing about Christmas?

Mince Pies. They are so firmly attached to my Christmas experience I think I would throw up if I had to eat one between January and November. I moved back to Wales at the beginning of this year, so 2017 will be my first Christmas in over a decade without my favourite mince pies of all time: the Mince Pie Selection Box from Dunn’s of Crouch End, London.

Do you think the book cover has an important role in potential readers buying your book?

I can only speak from experience, and my experience is there are quite a lot of people who wouldn’t have looked twice at The Box of Demons if it didn’t have a Chris Riddell cover. I can only hope they have enjoyed the inside as much as the outside. A good cover is vital.

What is the strangest question you have been asked as an author?

I am often asked if I know Ron Weasley. When I was an actor, I once got a call from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire production office about playing one of the older Weasley brothers. They asked a few questions, and I never heard from them again. (It became clear why when the film came out: the character in question was cut). I put this story on my website to illustrate how spectacularly unsuccessful my acting career was, and somehow it keeps being filtered into me having some sort of association with Rupert Grint. (I don’t).

I once did an in-store signing where the poster they put up to advertise my appearance said ‘he could have been Ron Weasley!’, which I thought was an interesting, if inaccurate, selling point.

What has inspired you the most to write?

That’s a tough one. I really don’t know. It just sort of happens. I liked a lot of fantasy-type things when I was younger, which I suppose helps. I went to a Catholic school, and Catholicism is essentially all stories so there was that too. And I’ve always liked to write, and read. 

Whenever I’m asked the classic author question "where do you get your ideas from?", I always say the swimming pool. There’s something about doing those repetitive laps that allows me to think of new stuff, make new connections to things I’m working on. So let’s say ‘swimming’.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Festive Children's Christmas Reads 2016

Matt Haig & Chris Mould - The Girl Who Saved Christmas - Published by  Canongate Books (3 Nov. 2016) 

JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF MAGIC

If magic has a beginning, can it also have an end?

When Amelia wants a wish to come true she knows just the man to ask - Father Christmas.

But the magic she wants to believe in is starting to fade, and Father Christmas has more than impossible wishes to worry about. Upset elves, reindeers dropping out of the sky, angry trolls and the chance that Christmas might be cancelled.

But Amelia isn't just any ordinary girl. And - as Father Christmas is going to find out - if Christmas is going to be saved, he might not be able to do it alone . . 

Gavriel Savit - Anna and the Swallow Man - Published by Bodley Head (28 Jan. 2016)

Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning, literary, and wholly original debut novel that tells a new WW2 story.

Kraków, 1939, is no place to grow up. There are a million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. And Anna Lania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father and suddenly, she’s alone. 

Then she meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall. And like Anna's missing father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. 

Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgement, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous . . .

Curated by Abi Elphinstone - Winter Magic - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's (3 Nov. 2016)

A beautiful and classic anthology of frosty, magical short stories from acclaimed children’s writers such as Michelle Magorian, Berlie Doherty, Lauren St John and Katherine Woodfine, and edited by author Abi Elphinstone.
Dreamsnatcher’s Abi Elphinstone heads up this gorgeous collection of wintery stories, featuring snow queens, frost fairs, snow dragons and pied pipers . . . from classic children’s writers such as Michelle Magorian, Geraldine McCaughrean, Jamila Gavin, Berlie Doherty, Katherine Woodfine, Piers Torday, Lauren St John, Amy Alward, Michelle Harrison and Emma Carroll.
An unmissable, enchanting treat of a collection that will be enjoyed for years to come, by readers of all ages.

Piers Torday - There May Be a Castle - Published by Quercus Children's Books (6 Oct. 2016) 

A remarkable story about love and death from the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

Eleven-year-old Mouse is travelling to see his grandparents on Christmas Eve with his mother and two sisters. But it's snowing, and visibility is bad, and the car goes off the road, and crashes. 

Mouse is thrown from the car. 

When he wakes, he's not in his world any more. He meets a sheep named Bar, who can only say Baaa, and a sarcastic horse named Nonky, who is a surprising mix of his beloved toy horse and his older sister.
So begins a quest to find a castle in a world of wonder - a world of monsters, minstrels, dangerous knights and mysterious wizards; a world of terrifying danger but also more excitement than Mouse has ever known.

But why are they looking for a castle? As the cold grows, we realise it might just have something to do with the family he's left behind; and that Mouse's quest is more important than ever. 

This is a novel about love and death. It's about the power of stories to change the way we view the world - and it's about the power of a child to change their own world. Emotionally arresting but ultimately uplifting, this is a remarkable novel for our times.

Tom Fletcher - The Christmasaurus - Published by Puffin (6 Oct. 2016)

The magical, moving and bestselling first children's novel from Tom Fletcher.

Forget everything you thought you knew about the North Pole, and set off on a Christmas Eve adventure with boy named William Trundle, an elf named Snozzletrump, Santa Claus (yes! The real Santa Claus!), a nasty piece of work called the Hunter, and a most unusual dinosaur . . .

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Top Five Favourite Winter/Festive Children's Books 2015

Matt Haig and Chris Mould: A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS tells the story of the early years of the world's most beloved hero. It is a gripping adventure set in eighteenth century Finland full of elves, reindeer, kidnapping and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas who isn't afraid to believe in magic.

'Father Christmas is the original super-hero. And Matt Haig, master of big hearted story-telling, is the perfect writer to bring his early years to life. In the utterly brilliant Chris Mould, Matt has found the perfect creative partner. I can see this book lighting up so many faces young and old this Christmas, and for many Christmases to come.

EMMA CARROLL: THE SNOW SISTER, Ever since her sister, Agnes, died, Pearl has a tradition every time it snows. She makes a person out of snow. A snow sister. It makes Christmas feel a little less lonely.
On Christmas Eve, her father receives a letter about a long-lost relative's will. Is their luck about to change? In anticipation of a better Christmas, Pearl goes to beg credit at Mr Noble's grocery to get ingredients for a Christmas pudding. But she is refused, and chased down the street where she is hit by a hansom cab. The snow is falling so hard that they can't take her home. She'll have to stay at Flintfield Manor overnight, in a haunted room... Will Pearl make it home for Christmas?

William Grill: Shackleton's Journey, To celebrate Ernest Shackleton’s departure on “Endurance” across the Antarctic, star illustrator William Grill brings us a detailed visual narrative of this extraordinary and historical expedition.

Grill’s beautiful use of coloured pencils and vibrant hues place him somewhere on the artistic spectrum between Raymond Briggs and David Hockney, and his fastidious cataloguing of every single detail of the expedition is nothing short of a Blackstock collection.

Grill evokes the atmosphere and intrepid excitement that would have surrounded the expedition with his impeccably researched and detailed drawings. Children will love examining the exploded diagrams of the peculiar provision taken or the individual drawings of the sled dogs or pack horses. This book takes the academic and historical information surrounding the expedition and teams it with powerful illustration for all readers to enjoy.

Katherine Rundell: The Wolf Wilder, Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans. When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.

Rhoda Levine And Everett Aison: Arthur is a wonderful holiday story about a small bird named Arthur, who lives in New York City.After a fine, green summer in Central Park, all the birds are preparing to fly south. Except for Arthur, that is. Arthur is off playing, gazing into a lake, dreaming of wider seas. And so Arthur is left behind. It begins to get cold. The trees are losing their leaves. Arthur feels uneasy and lonely, especially after his nest is scattered to the winds. Arthur must find a new home, and after he does—he settles down in a statue’s open book—he discovers a new city, where he can play hide-and-seek in the steam from a manhole cover and feast with the pigeons on crumbs, and which soon brings other delightful surprises (and challenges): icicles, a great big sweet-smelling evergreen tree that is all lit up with people gathered around it to sing “Gloria” in the cold night, and snow—a whole winter wonderland! And then the trees begin to bud; the birds come back....

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Top Five Favourite Christmas Children's Picture Books

Chris Van Allsburg - The Polar Express
Late one Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train: The Polar Express bound for the North Pole. Once there, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy asks for one bell from the harness of a reindeer. The bell is lost. On Christmas morning, the boy finds the bell under the tree. The boy's mother admires the bell, but laments that it is broken — for you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell.

Raymond Briggs - The Snowman 
Everyone's favourite snowman, with a sparkly glitter cover and introduction by Raymond Briggs. One winter's night, a snowman comes to life and an unforgettable adventure begins. Raymond Briggs' favourite classic is a true piece of Christmas magic - narrated entirely through pictures, it captures the wonder and innocence of childhood and is now recognised throughout the world. In 2012 the 30th anniversary of The Snowman was celebrated with a brand new half-hour animation The Snowman and the Snowdog. It introduced a new adorable character, can you guess who? That's right, a lovable snow puppy!

Janet & Allan Ahlberg - The Jolly Christmas Postman 

The Jolly Postman delivers cards and letters to various fairy-tale characters. He has a letter of apology for the three bears from Goldilocks, a postcard from Jack for the giant, a solicitor's letter on behalf of Little Red Riding-Hood for the wolf who ate grandma, and so on. There are six envelopes in the book, each containing letters, cards, etc.

Dr. Seuss - How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! / Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason." Dr. Seuss's small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time. For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His "wonderful, awful" idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.

Clement C. Moore - The Night Before Christmas
As St. Nick and eight tiny reindeer descend through a brilliant night sky onto the roof of a Victorian house in a snowy New England village, the famous Christmas poem begins. The father of the family narrates the words just as Clement Moore wrote them, and artist Jan Brett captures the spirit in brilliant illustrations that reflect this memorable night. Visually she extends this favourite Christmas story for children, who will delight in watching the two mischievous stowaways from the North Pole enthusiastically exploring the sacks of gifts on the roof while St. Nick, unaware, journeys down the chimney... until the toys spill down onto the lawn and he turns with a jerk!

What's your festive favourite picture books?