ReadItDaddy's Advent Book of the Week - Week Ending 4th December 2015 - "Home Alone - The Classic Illustrated Storybook" by John Hughes and Kim Smith (Quirk Books)

One of THE essential yuletide movies ever made gets a picture book outing. Step inside for our first Advent Book of the Week (ya filthy animals), it's "Home Alone - The Classic Illustrated Storybook" by John Hughes and Kim Smith (Quirk Books)...
Every year we tend to have a few yuletide rituals that we love to stick to. Some of those rituals involve watching brilliant Christmas movies or reading fabulous Christmas books but what if you could somehow combine the two, and read a fantastic Christmas book BASED ON an utterly essential Christmas movie.

Don't worry, Quirk Books and Kim Smith have got you covered. In what can only be described as an utterly GENIUS idea, Kim has taken John Hughes story, and used Chris Columbus' brill movie as the basis for a whole new classic illustrated storybook version of the brilliano "Home Alone".

Kevin McAllister is a bit of a mischievous scamp who always seems to get into trouble. After a family falling-out and a bit of mealtime clumsiness, Kevin is banished upstairs without any supper by his mum. He's so ticked off that he makes a secret wish - that his family would disappear and leave him alone!

Be careful what you wish for, Kevin!

Hooray! Imagine if you had the house to yourself all Christmas. What would YOU do?

Waking up the next morning Kevin can't find his family anywhere (in the movie, they all go off on holiday without him - Charming!) so he's on his own. What does Kevin do? Well, pretty much what any 8 year old (including Charlotte) would do - Eat a ton of junk and watch a ton of TV!

Soon, Kevin realises that being on your own isn't actually that great after all - and when two rather nasty burglars come sniffing around the house one evening, Kevin hides under his mum and dad's bed like a big scaredy cat. But that's no way for a kid to act! It's time to toughen up and take those perps on!

Watch that first step guys, it's a DOOZY!

Kevin draws up an incredible plan to set up a ton of booby traps and along with some help from his scary neighbour (who is actually just a nice old man who's also alone at Christmas) "The Wet Bandits" are soon put on ice and whisked off to enjoy their Christmas Dinner in the clink!

Kevin wishes for his family to come back, thoughtfully laying out the Christmas decorations and stockings for their return...

Kevin even includes one for Buzz, who is a complete STINKO!

The storybook version understandably skips a few bits of the movie (Charlotte was a bit disappointed that the fabulous bit where Kevin tricks the burglars by playing snatches of his fave gangster movie "Angels with Filthy Souls" was missed out but I'm pretty sure most parents wouldn't want their little darlings running around calling people "filthy animals!")

It doesn't matter though, it's still absolutely flipping fantastic and as we said at the top of the review, a genius idea.

We're hoping, praying that Kim gets to do Home Alone 2 at some point (idea for next year's Christmas book list perhaps?) because that's another movie that would stand up to a storybook treatment perfectly.

She's done an excellent job here though, and if you buy one book for your little ones this Christmas, this should be firmly at the top of your list.

Charlotte's favourite bit: Marv mincing his feet up on nasty sharp christmas decorations. OWCH!

Daddy's favourite bit: A rather touching end to the story involving Kevin reuniting with his mum, and his neighbour making good on his word by talking to his son. Beautiful!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Quirk Books)

"Home Alone - The Classic Illustrated Storybook"

Adapted from the story by John Hughes and movie by Chris Columbus

Illustrated and devised by Kim Smith

Published by Quirk Publishing

Publication Date: 20th October 2015