Hachette Children’s ISBN 9781444941999 £12.99
A new addition to the Emily Brown series by well-known author Cressida Cowell (of How to Train your Dragon fame) and illustrator Neal Layton. It is Christmas Eve and Father Christmas is having all sorts of problems. Fortunately, he finds himself right outside Emily Brown’s bedroom and she and her rabbit, Stanley, come to the rescue. In desperately trying to become up-to-date with all sorts of gadgets and electronic gizmos, Father Christmas is finding everything is going wrong. But, as Emily Brown tells him, ‘Sometimes, the old ways are the best’, a sentiment many would echo, particularly adults trying to wean children away from screens and keyboards. Fuelling the imagination of the young, in this story we discover that magic works best, and that of course, Father Christmas is real. This is a feel-good tale with delightful illustrations that reminds us that ‘being kind and helpful to others is what Christmas is all about’. Age range 3 to 6.
Pam Dowson
