A heart-melting and gorgeously atmospheric picture book slides under door 18 of our Booky Advent Calendar with blog favourites Tracey Corderoy and Sarah Massini cooking up the perfect Christmassy picture book for your delectation and delight.

"Mouse's Night Before Christmas" is perfect for snuggling up with in the run-up to the big night, Christmas Eve - so is Mouse ready?

Well not exactly. You see poor lonely mouse doesn't have anyone to share Christmas with, and is resigned to the fact that it's going to be another cold and lonely christmas in the Grandfather Clock he calls home.

However this year will be different. Santa arrives, lost in a blizzard and not quite finished with the all-important task of delivering presents. But can a tiny mouse possibly help Father Christmas find his way through the snow?

Together they embark on a magical sleigh ride, delivering presents all around town. But the best present of all is for Mouse - a special friend to share Christmas Day with!

This is beautiful, perfectly capturing the magic of christmas and friendship, and believing in yourself even if you're as tiny as a mouse.

"Mouse's Night Before Christmas" by Tracey Corderoy and Sarah Massini is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review). 

We've recently been musing on Twitter about the sheer quality of picture book releases we're seeing now that the chilly autumn breeze is once more upon us. There's definitely something comforting about cosying up with a picture book together as the weather turns colder, and what better book to cosy up with than a delightful and thoroughly original mighty-girl-and-dino tale.

"The Girl and the Dinosaur" by Hollie Hughes and Sarah Massini is the sort of book we've been hoping to see more of - one where the "quiet kids" get their chance to shine, and become heroes of their own stories - rather than a story that just blares loudly that you need to be charismatic and outspoken to get on in life.

The "Quiet kid" in this story is a little girl called Marianne (and if you haven't already fallen in love with her purely from the cover pic and hearing her name for the first time, you most certainly will by the end of this story). Marianne doesn't really play much with the other kids, but she's often seen scouring the beach near her home.

She's looking for something special - Dinosaur bones. But not just your ordinary everyday fossils, she wants to collect enough to build a very special friend indeed.

As she slips into a blissful sleep one night, she first wishes with all her might that her dream might just come true. Her wish - to meet and befriend an amazing dinosaur companion to go on adventures with. 

Here's a gorgeous and thought-provoking story for tinies that imparts a really valuable lesson about loving something enough to let it go, and let it be free...

One of our favourite children's stories comes to vivid life courtesy of some utterly glorious illustrations, our first Book of the Week this week is the glorious "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams and Sarah Massini...

A new range of beautifully presented classic children's stories are being given a new lease of life, courtesy of award-winning independent publishers Nosy Crow.

The first of these will be "The Velveteen Rabbit", Margery Williams' timeless classic story about a toy rabbit who wishes he was real. With new illustrations by Sarah Massini, and a gorgeous new inlaid foil cover on special hardback versions, it should be a sure-fire hit for an early addition to your christmas present book list.

"The Velveteen Rabbit" is a cherished toy that muses on what it takes to become real. A wise friend observes that you have to be well loved, a little bit worn, perhaps a little older before you can be 'real' but the restless rabbit wants to know more - and when left out in the rain one balmy summer's evening, the rabbit soon finds out that he's not quite as real as he thought.

The original story will be presented in its unabridged form for the new book, and the preview copy we took a look at was filled with the most gorgeous illustrations in Sarah's characterful style. We can't wait to see a finished copy as this is one of our all-time favourite classic stories.

"The Velveteen Rabbit" will be released on September 1st 2016, published by Nosy Crow.

A charming little bedtime treat this book is! With gentle rhymes and fun illustrations, "A Recipe for Bedtime" takes us tip-toeing through the bedtime ritual of a snuggly little baby as he toddles up the wooden hill to Beddington.

The perfect recipe for a perfect bedtime involves lots of cuddles, a drop or two of milk, some tummy pie (Charlotte pointed out that Peter made a mistake saying "Raspberries" - everyone knows that blowing raspberries on your baby's tummy is universally known as "Tummy Pie" right?) and a warm snuggly blanket or two.

Reading this book just before bedtime had exactly the desired effect, in fact it worked a little too well because I struggled to stay awake for the rest of the evening myself (in a good way).

Lovely cuddly stuff!

Charlotte's best bit: "Tummy Pie" recipe!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Perfect rhymes, lovely snuggly illustrations, an instant bedtime classic!

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

Charlotte knows that the source of the world's Chocolate Button surplus is located at Grandad's house. So we spotted this book that is a cute little tale about a grandchild going off to stay with their adventuresome Grandad at his Lighthouse home. 

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful in this. The text is a gentle rhyming tale that matches the bobbing of the waves in the story. Did you ever dream of spending a night in a hammock, or going fishing out to sea? Then you'll love this nautical-flavoured tale. 

No chocolate buttons were harmed in the making of this book. 

Charlotte's best bit: Kitty going to sleep wearing Grandad's Sailor Hat

Daddy's favourite bit: The quality of the illustrations. 

Rating: 4 out of 5