Some books sum up the magic of christmas purely by one glance of their covers. From the moment you open that cover you're whisked on a magical and atmospheric journey that just draws you in, and doesn't let you go until the journey is complete (assuming, of course, that you don't do what we do and just flick straight back to the first page and start all over again!)

Richard Collingridge's fabulous "When It Snows" originally came out in 2012 and it's been a regular in our Christmas Booky Advent Calendar ever since. The story of a young boy making his way through a snow-bound landscape, the story's lyrical lilt and utterly fabulous illustrations take you through each stage of the boy's journey as he makes his way past frozen snow-bound vehicles, to a dark and magical place in the forest where fairies dwell and perhaps there'll even be a glimpse of Santa himself!

We often talk about books being 'cuddle-up classics' - books that seem purely designed to be enjoyed while cuddling up with your loved ones. In the spirit of such brilliant classics as "The Polar Express" and "The Night Before Christmas" we would place "When it Snows" and hope that one day you'll discover it too and make it a part of your christmas traditions!

Charlotte's best bit: The boy's polar bear ride and first meeting with the awesome fairy folk

Daddy's Favourite bit: The story flows perfectly, the images practically leap off the page to envelop you, it's a book that we have enjoyed again and again and really hope you'll seek out too!

(Kindly sent to us for review by David Fickling Books)

Mr Men books have been staple fodder for a couple of generations of our family. I still remember the awesome animated TV series narrated by Arthur Lowe, and back when I was at primary school the Mr Men books were extremely popular, kids would draw them on their scrap books or pencil cases and there was even a brilliant range of plush toys (my sister had a Mr Bump complete with bandages!)

Along came the Little Miss books to join the male-dominated range, and now there are even more books than ever.

For our Booky Advent Calendar we've picked out one of Egmont's new stories with a christmas twist. It's time for the grand Christmas Party and all the Little Misses and Mr Men are invited. Mr Happy will be the genial host, and he soon sends out invitations to everyone.

One person is in two minds about coming along though. Little Miss Shy. She really wants to go but doesn't know if she can sum up enough courage to go along. What if she blushes and gets embarrassed? It's quite the quandary to be in!

Luckily on the day of the party it snows really heavily. Everyone is downcast and sad because it looks like the party will have to be cancelled. All but Little Miss Shy who doesn't have to worry about going or not going any more. But Mr Christmas has a fantastic idea. He's going to borrow Santa's sled to ensure everyone gets to the party on time, and it can go ahead! CATASTROPHE (for Little Miss Shy at least!)

So does she make it to the big yuletide bash, or does her shyness stop her?

You'll have to read this awesome little christmas story to find out. The Little Miss / Mr Men books are still as great as they ever were, and this story in particular struck a chord with Charlotte - who is quite shy herself. Maybe if you can gather enough courage to do the things that scare you, you'll end up having the most brilliant time ever! What a great message, not just for christmas but for any time of the year!

Charlotte's best bit: Mr Silly's amazing crazy band and their weird instruments!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great little message and it's so good to see that the Little Miss / Mr Men books are still as fantastic as ever they were!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Publishing)

Chris Van Allsburg's books always have a wonderful touch of the magical and surreal about them and never more so than in this utterly perfect christmas tale. Forget what you know about the CGI movie based on this (though, actually we really love the movie too!) - dip into the book which is one of the most atmospheric and perfectly paced christmas stories ever written for children.

We always make a habit of digging this out in the run-up to Christmas. It's the tale of a young boy who boards a magical train that shudders to a halt outside his door one Christmas Eve. The train guard loudly announces that the train is destined for the North Pole, and the passengers will meet Santa! What child could possibly resist!?

Amazing refreshments are served (just reading Van Allsburg's descriptions of the hot chocolate in this book make your mouth water!) and the train gallops through the landscape before arriving at all points north.

The young boy is miraculously chosen by Santa to receive the first christmas gift and he chooses something fairly humble, a bell from Santa's sleigh. But on the way back home the boy realises that he put the bell in his nightgown pocket - and that pocket has a hole in it!

The bell is lost, and the boy is downcast. But with the magic and spirit of christmas, will the boy's christmas wish come true after all?

We've read this so many times - which is why you'll always see a tiny bell somewhere on our christmas tree. We shake the bell to see if everyone can hear it (if you read this story you'll understand why).

An utterly perfect christmas tale. If you only know the movie, or have never seen either, then you definitely need this book on your christmas list!

Charlotte's best bit: As the boy grows older he can still hear the bell, even though his parents (and eventually his sister) can't

Daddy's Favourite bit: Utterly and completely magical. We love Van Allsburg's books but this is our absolute favourite.

Hooray, hooray! Little Hedgehog is back in a new touchy-feely soft and cuddly book for christmas by M Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton.

"One Special Christmas" sees little hedgehog setting out on a very special yuletide mission. Santa has the sniffles and it looks like Christmas might have to be cancelled, but thankfully Little Hedgehog plops on his new soft red hat and soft red scarf, and pitches in to help. On his little red sled, he's ready to help deliver presents to all the waiting girls and boys.

This book is packed with magical christmas atmosphere and the inlaid soft felt-like panels throughout the book are great for little ones to stroke and touch while you read the story out loud to them. Join little hedgehog on the perfect festive adventure!

Charlotte's best bit: Mouse's tiny tiny tree and even tinier presents! Awww bless!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A lovely little addition to the festive little hedgehog books

(Kindly sent to us for review by Little Tiger Press)

We like to look at a really broad range of books on the blog and we can't resist some of the books that crop up every year for christmas for tiny little tots. "Jolly Snowmen" is a lovely little board book from Little Tiger Press with a great story mechanic that you may have seen in other books before.

With each turn of the page we get to read out a bouncy snowy rhyme and watch as the five jolly snowmen slowly (and to little tots, quite magically) disappear! Where have they gone?

Charlotte's verdict on this book was that she couldn't wait to show it to her little cousin (who may still be at the stage where she dribbles on or chews books!) and read it out loud to her, showing her what happens.

A great little stocking stuffer for tinies!

Charlotte's best bit: She actually loved reading through this but can't wait to share with little cousin Isabel

Daddy's Favourite bit: Love this, it's such a fun little book and we loved the neat little disappearing snowman trick throughout

(Kindly sent to us for review by Little Tiger Press)

We're kicking off our Booky Advent Calendar again this year in grand style! Each day throughout December (well, the weekdays at least!) we'll be hunting out some spectacular Christmas books young and old, new and well-loved, to get your christmas booky shopping lists off to a flying start.

So let's begin the proceedings with something distinctly different. It's part activity book, part advent calendar (so of course today would be a PERFECT day to pick up a copy and get cracking opening those windows).

"Adventivity" contains a whole bunch of brilliant resources and materials for 25 engaging christmassy 'make' projects. The front cover of the book doubles up as an advent calendar (no chocolate I'm afraid, Charlotte!) and inside you'll find lots of awesome ideas from creative christmas cards to brilliant festive models.

Each project is illustrated in detail, and though it's fairly easy for older children, adults might need to pitch in and help as things get a little tricky for little hands. The book makes the assumption that (like us) you have a lot of crafting materials at home too, so be prepared to raid the recycling bin to get creative!

All said and done, there's a ton of fun to be had here in this innovative christmas book and it's certainly healthier than a chocolate advent calendar!

Charlotte's best bit: Making the awesome christmassy animal models to pop on her windowsill

Daddy's Favourite bit: A fun and engaging activity and nativity / advent book that should keep your little ones busy all December and beyond!

(Kindly sent to us for review by QED Publishing)

It's Christmas Eve! I hope you're going to be all tucked up in bed nice and early tonight.

Our last Advent Calendar Entry (boo!) and there's always time for some sticker fun. The "Star Paws" sticker books are brilliant fun, mixing fun and cute photos of animals with a ton (literally a TON) of stickers to stick all over them, bedecking them with boughs of holly and all sorts of other Christmas paraphernalia.

We always giggle at the silly names the authors come up with for the animals in these books, and the crazy combinations you can make as you work your way through the book. Like all good sticker books, it's the blissful silence that accompanies these that makes them truly special.

And with that, we're done. We're taking a brief bloggy-break before we come back with a BANG in the new year, shaking things up a bit with a few new ideas to keep you coming back for more.

We'll have lots of reviews in the new year, and as it's the centenary of the start of World War 1, don't miss out on a ton of features on the best children's books commemorating this.

Charlotte's best bit: Stickers! LOTS and lots of stickers!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Such funny names for the animals in this! Julius Cheeser anyone?

(Kindly sent to us for review by Macmillan Children's Books)

Who is that rather beautiful angel? Well she's the shining star of a wonderful app that we enjoyed immensely last year, and is still available on the app store.

"Angel's Great Escape" is a fantastic story narrated by none other than Alan Titchmarsh who loans his dulcet tones to a fine christmas story.

Please also stop by and visit the And So We Begin website for more news.

Here's a video of the app in action.  How brilliant does this look? THIS brilliant!!!

Angel's Great Escape (on iTunes)
(On Google Play)
Visit the And So We Begin Website

Charlotte's best bit: Lots of shiny sparkly goodies to prod and play with in the story pages

Daddy's Favourite bit: Definitely one of the best Christmas story apps.

(Very kindly sent to us by And So We Begin)

Christmas is coming, and by now you're probably smugly sitting atop a huge pile of things ready to wrap having completed your christmas shopping early. What's that? You are nowhere near finished? And you're still searching for a few stocking fillers for your little ones?

How about a festive book that warms the cockles and features an enduring and rather cute little mole? Roley Moley to be precise, the hero of E.J. Gill's beautifully created series of children's books. When poor Roley is dug up with a christmas tree one festive evening, he ends up transported into the home of a family who are just putting the finishing touches to their yuletide celebration. For Roley Moley this is a whole new world as he discovers the sights, the sounds, the smells - and most importantly the taste of christmas quite literally from the inside out!

Moley's not always popular though, and there are lots of scrapes and near-misses before Roley can truly enjoy the spirit of christmas. Thankfully he's a mole with a very special skill. They don't call him Roley Moley for nothing!

E.J. Gill's perfect combination of an entertaining 'fish out of water' story and of course a hefty dose of christmas atmosphere make this book a lovely addition to any youngster's library. Perfect for this time of year, and Charlotte absolutely loved Roley Moley (I think she'd quite like to prod his big round christmas pud-filled tummy! Not sure how Roley Moley would feel about that!)

Fantastic stuff and we'll definitely be hunting down the rest of Roley Moley's books!

Charlotte's best bit: Roley Moley getting a rather fat tummy from ending up in "The Giant Christmas Pud Molehill"

Daddy's favourite bit: Entertainingly written, with great illustrations and quite a bit of tension and excitement too. Moletastic!

(Kindly sent to us for review by E.J. Gill in Paperback version. A kindle version of the book is available via this link: Roley Moley's Christmas)

One of our happiest 'discoveries' of the year has been the utterly sublime work of Metaphrog. Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers are the genius team behind the fabulous award-winning Louis graphic novels, which we have enjoyed immensely - and also brilliant graphic shorts like "The Photographs" which cover difficult subjects in a thought-provoking and extremely touching way.

With "Winter's Tales", a duo of short stories available only during December for the ridiculously reasonable price of £3.50, two hefty issues are addressed in a way that Metaphrog absolutely specialises in.

In "The Glass Case" the subject is domestic violence, and we meet a young boy who (along with his mother) is horribly mistreated at home by a violent father. On a school trip to a local museum, the boy encounters a strange doll which stares out at him from a glass case. The boy is entranced by the doll, and despite being ridiculed by his class mates, he returns to the museum after one particularly harrowing instance of violence at home to gaze on the doll again.

Amazingly, she comes to life - and soon the pair become friends. Sneaking up to the roof of the museum, the boy wishes that they could stay there forever.

We'll leave you to discover what happens next in the story but even as I'm typing, the thought of it actually brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye.

In the second story, Metaphrog revisits a classic Hans Christian Andersen tale, beautifully rendered as a comic strip, "The Little Match Girl" is a tragic tale that is still relevant today, as levels of poverty (particularly at Christmas) are once again hitting the headlines. The Match Girl sells matches on the street in the freezing cold but after a particularly bad day, the girl has no choice but to hide in an alleyway rather than risk going home empty handed. She is freezing to death, and in her desperation, despite knowing the consequences of using up precious matches rather than selling them, she strikes one.

A magical scene of a warming stove unfolds on the wall of the alleyway, and she can almost feel the delicious heat of it, but as soon as the match burns out the scene disappears.

She strikes another and a delicious feast appears - but once again all too quickly the scene fades as the match burns out...

Even if you've read and enjoyed the original story, here under Metaphrog's expert creative hands the tale is given new relevance and acts as a stark reminder to those of us who will be tucked up in the warmth with plenty to eat, and lots of christmas cheer, that there are those on the streets who won't share the same good fortune.

Please do take a look at this work. Though you may feel it's probably inappropriate to feature this in a christmas children's book roundup, it has been a genuine pleasure to read this with Charlotte and highlight to her the importance of not taking anything for granted, particularly at christmas as the cold weather sets in.

Stunning thought-provoking stuff.

Stop by Metaphrog's website for more on this and their other fabulous work.


Charlotte's best bit: The doll in "The Glass Case" coming to life!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Have tissues handy, this work is amazing but it will make you cry, I guarantee it.

(Very kindly sent to us by John and Sandra at Metaphrog)

With a name like Alan Snow, you'd expect the genius behind the "How (something) Really Works" books to come up with a festive corker of a subject. "How Santa Really Works" builds on the series with an entertaining look at everyone's favourite red-coated white-bearded dude.

What does Santa do for the other 364 days of the year when he's not jetting around the globe on his sleigh? How exactly DOES he sort out all those christmas letters and lists? How does Santa determine who has been naughty and who has been nice?

All these questions and more are answered in this fabulous christmassy book - and the pop-up edition is even better, with 3D foldout scenes depicting Santa's workshops, mail room and other fun things.

Brilliant stuff - we're actually waiting for Alan Snow's "How Book Reviewers Really Work" because we still don't have a clue!


Charlotte's best bit: All those letters to Santa. Eek!

Daddy's Favourite bit: The inner workings of Rudolf!

It's usually quite noisy and hectic at Christmas, but if there's one thing that guarantees a couple of blissful hours of silence, it's an Usborne sticker book. Get your little ones settled with the "Santa's Workshop Sticker Book" and they'll be happy, busy and occupied with over 300 festive stickers to stick into various scenes.

We loved the characters in this, from cheeky little Santas to helpful elves and of course Rudolf and a host of other Christmas favourites too. Find out how Santa decides who's been naughty and nice, and looks at each and every christmas list sent by children all over the world.

Colourful, fun and utterly christmassy!


Charlotte's best bit: The busy little elves working in Santa's toy workshops and sorting offices

Daddy's Favourite bit: As with all the Usborne sticker books, it's just so great to see Charlotte busying herself and completely wrapped up in sticker fun (leaving us to make mince pies and mulled wine!)

(Originally sent to us for review by Usborne Books)

Last Christmas, we thrilled to the delights and charms of this utterly wonderful book. This year we're happy to see it popping up in paperback form all over our favourite bookshops, with its lovely new cover.

Telling the tale of a young boy who marches across the snowiest of snowy landscapes, through the Land of the Snowmen, past frozen vehicles, to a secret place that only The Snow Queen knows, it reminds us of fabulous christmassy books like "The Polar Express".

Richard Collingridge has established himself as a major talent in children's picture books and a fantastic cover illustrator. This will undoubtedly be read again and again over the festive season, and its celebratory message of the wonder of being lost in a good book is good for any time of year!

Charlotte's best bit: Riding atop a polar bear across the snowy landscape

Daddy's Favourite bit: Seeing all the ice-bound frozen vehicles as the boy gambols past ready for adventures in the snow.

(Originally sent to us for review by David Fickling Books)

Judith Kerr is a national treasure, and right from when Charlotte was a tiny little mite, we loved reading her the Mog books - and of course the sublime "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" as well.

"Mog's Christmas" was a gift from her Auntie Emma one year, and it was a lovely christmassy read as we tucked her up in bed after a very busy Christmas Day. Mog the forgetful and slightly scatterbrained cat isn't really sure about Christmas. Strange people arrive to stay at the house, there's a lot of noise, a lot of strange decorations - and worst yet, a huge talking tree arrives at the house and scares Mog half to death.

Enough is enough. Mog escapes, and finds a nice warm snuggly spot on the roof of the house next to the chimney.

Mog refuses to move, even for a nice fish supper, but it's warm - and as Mog settles down for a snooze, she has the strangest dream...! Meanwhile the family are quite sad, no one really feels like celebrating Christmas when Mog can't join in!

"Mog's Christmas" reminds me of our family christmas, hectic, lots of visitors, lots of mess and fuss but we wouldn't have it any other way. A wonderful christmassy book with our favourite cat!


Charlotte's best bit: The funny old aunties and their presents!

Daddy's Favourite bit: What happens to Mog just as Christmas Dinner is getting under way. Hooray!

I'm old school, I still believe there's no better present to unwrap than an annual and when I was a wee whippersnapper, I always wanted the Dandy or The Beano.

It's absolutely brilliant to see The Beano still going strong after 75 years and in The Beano Annual 2014, it's even more awesome to see comic strips I knew and loved as a kid being brought back so that a whole new audience can enjoy them. Minnie the Minx, Roger the Dodger, Lord Snooty and the superbly strong Pansy Potter once again rub shoulders with our old favourites Dennis the Menace, The Bash Street Kids and the ever-hungry 3 Bears in strips that will have you chortling and sniggering way past boxing day.

It was so great to see Charlotte sneaking off to read this annual on her own. I'd introduced her to classic fun comics like The Beano and The Dandy but this was the first time she'd had something of her own to dive into - in a format that is a great way to introduce kids to comics (so many modern comics could benefit from doing annuals. Phoenix, are you listening?)

Every strip is a hoot, every new artist and of course all the old classic artists can still cut it and can still make these brilliant characters stand out and shine. It has been so fabulous to dive back into the Beano, and I've a feeling we'll be back for more with the regular weekly comics too.


Charlotte's best bit: Minnie the Minx and the strip where she 'helps' Dad be on time for work (really hope this hasn't given her any ideas!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: I have always loved The Numskulls and they're still as ace as ever they were!

(Kindly sent to us for review by D.C. Thomson & Co)

On the first booky day of christmas my true love read to me: The Babar Collection by Jean De Brunhoff.

As Christmas booky-stocking-fillers go, this is a mighty tome - befitting of the mighty Babar, King of the Elephants and one of the most well known and best loved children's book characters ever.

Babar is a whopping 80 years old (80!!) but you wouldn't know it, the stories are so brilliant and timeless that being able to read through this collection has been a huge treat. Collected together in a stylish binder, you can find out all about the suited and booted elephant supreme and his origins.

In "The Story of Babar" we learn how this curious and intelligent elephant left the jungle to seek his fortune in the big city. With no money and nowhere to live, Babar was luckily taken in by a rich and rather sweet old lady who befriended Babar, educated him and introduced him to civilisation and culture. Babar is a quick study, and when the old King of the Elephants dies suddenly, Elephantkind look to Babar to become their new leader.

With each story in the collection, we find out a little more about Babar's world - and experience the highs and lows of life for this wonderful character. Babar marries, has children and founds a marvellous Elephant city - and tying neatly in with our christmas theme, even meets Santa himself!

If you're new to Babar, this is definitely worth purchasing as you get a brilliant selection of stories to read to your little ones over the space of a few bedtimes (or, like us, to read all in one huge glorious gulp! Hooray!)

Jean De Brunhoff's meisterwork is still as vital and important to children's literature as ever, so truly don't miss out on the chance to enter the world of Babar. You'll want to stay till Christmas and beyond!

Charlotte's best bit: Babar's naughty little children who are always getting into trouble

Daddy's Favourite bit: A pleasant surprise to see Charlotte's reaction to Babar, proving how timeless and appealing this wonderful elephant still is. 80 years old and no signs of slowing down at all, love you Babar!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont UK)