My Own Little Christmas Story by Christina Goodings and Amanda Gulliver (Lion Hudson Children's Books)

As the Christmas shopping mania kicks in, it's very easy for children to lose sight of what Christmas is truly about, and to miss the stories behind why we celebrate on December the 25th. As Charlotte learns about the nativity at school (and is about to star as an angel in the school nativity play, wowsers!) it's great to be able to show her the story in books and even learn a little bit about the historical times and places the nativity is set in.

"My Own Little Christmas Story" is a nicely presented little book for younger children who are just finding out about the story of Jesus' birth and the nativity story. Thoughtfully illustrated by Amanda Gulliver and nicely retold by Christina Goodings, this book is perfectly priced (and sized) as a nice little stocking filler to hopefully give children a flavour of christmas that isn't tainted by crass commercialism and brand-led merchandising.

We're not particularly religious (my wife is slightly more in tune with a belief system than I am, I'm about as religious as your average garden rock) so it's going to be interesting as time passes to see what discussions come about from books like this, and the nativity story in general. Lion Hudson do produce some of the best nativity books on the market though, and this is particularly good if you're looking for a book for children to be able to relate to.

Charlotte's best bit: She really loved Amanda Gulliver's animal illustrations. Not too fuzzy or cuddly, just nicely done.

Daddy's favourite bit: Thoughtfully retold nativity story, immediately approachable and digestible by very young children. Fab!

(Kindly sent to us for review by the lovely folk at Lion Hudson)