Wake up, Santa! Illustrated by Pintachan

With cleverly designed paper engineering and digital illustrations, this bright, jolly interactive board book will get little ones and their sharers in festive mood as they waken in turn Santa, the elves, Rudolph and a teddy bear.

There are things to find, name, count and talk about all in a tiny, fun-filled ‘Little Faces’ package.

Countdown to Christmas Adam & Charlotte Guillain and Pippa Curnick

Team Guillain present a jolly rhyming tale of a bear that creates a Christmas game with a final surprise for all his animal friends.

Everyone is eager to participate in his enterprise but after a few turns yielding uninspiring prizes the forest creatures begin to lose their initial enthusiasm. Mouse however is keen to carry on, though on day 14 she falls ill and is confined to bed for several days, fearful that she’ll miss her turn in the game.

When the last day comes and she still hasn’t had that turn, she’s convinced that she’s been forgotten altogether. Consequently it’s a very tearful little rodent that hears Bear call her name. He hands Mouse a large wrapped-up box instructing her to open it and accompany him to discover the promised surprise: what could it possibly be?

Pippa Curnick’s illustrations are simply terrific – brilliantly expressive and funny

There’s even a festive calendar attached to the back cover so readers can join the characters in the Christmas countdown.

Mouse’s Night Before Christmas Tracey Corderoy and Sarah Massini

Tracey and Sarah’s version of the classic poem offers an utterly delightful new twist in the character of a little mouse.

Tracey cleverly interweaves occasional lines from Clement Clark Moore in her rhyming narrative that tells of Mouse’s Christmas Eve adventure that all begins when he makes a wish in front of the festive Christmas tree that stands in the hall.

For as we hear, there actually is a creature stirring in this particular house. And having done so and made that wish he encounters a lost Santa who is more than grateful to have him act as guide for the remainder of his round.

When the deliveries are done, it’s time for Mouse and Santa to part company but Santa hasn’t forgotten his tiny helper’s wish; he gives Mouse not one but two presents and a map…

Could it be that not just one but two tiny creatures are to have their Christmas wishes fulfilled?

Beautifully told – Tracey’s text is sheer pleasure to read aloud – and Sara’s illustrations with all those gorgeous details, despite the snowy landscapes, positively radiate all that’s warm about Christmas.

Share with little ones at home snuggled up with hot chocolate and in foundation stage settings and expect requests of ‘again’ as soon as you try to close the covers of this one.

The Snow Dragon Abi Elphinstone and Fiona Woodcock

It’s a snowy Christmas Eve when we meet young Phoebe who lives in the orphanage owned by the cruel Griselda Bones. All the other young residents have had their ‘miracle day, have been adopted and departed to become part of a family. Griselda runs a soulless regime – no daydreaming, skipping or games such as hide-and-seek and as for

Christmas – forget it, lessons will continue as always. But even those are interrupted when Griselda throws Phoebe out to spend a night in the kennels for daring to be creative in her grammar lesson.

But then it starts to snow and having managed to climb out of the enclosure, Phoebe with the help of dachshund, Herb, builds a snowman, seeing in it a possibility of something magical.

And something magical is swirled into being before her eyes in the form of a snow dragon upon whose back Phoebe is whisked away on a fantastic adventure. The Christmas magic doesn’t stop there however for there’s something even more awesome to follow…

Everything about this book, (which is an abridged version of a tale included in the collection, Winter Magic), is out of this world gorgeous. The telling is full of uplifting messages for youngsters, not least of which is that even in dark times ‘We all have the gift of wonder’ and mustn’t forget to look at its natural beauty. ‘Be content. Be watchful. Be brave’ the dragon tells her.

Sheer enchantment of the best kind is provided in Fiona’s sublime illustrations, especially those of 'wonderflible' Northern Lights and the dragon’s first appearance.

This story is a distillation of all that’s best about Christmas.