Oh yes indeed, it's that time of the year again, a couple of dozen sleeps until Christmas - and once again we're wheeling out an awesome selection of christmassy titles for our December review schedule. Some brand new and never seen before, some well loved classics that have always been in our reading pile around this most wonderful time of the year.

Bring on...

THE BOOKY ADVENT CALENDAR!

And bring on the book behind Door Number 1 as we take a look at a gorgeous cloth-bound new edition reprint of Brian Wildsmith's timeless version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" - out now from OUP / Oxford Children's Books.

The perfect gift for every day of Christmas, Brian takes us on an enchanting journey through The Twelve Days of Christmas (a rhyme that we somehow still manage to get wrong, so it's rather handy to have a gorgeous book to refer to so we can sing it right at last!) 

For our 12th day of christmas books, how about a gorgeous version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

Taking William Morris designs and using them as the basis for the book, Liz Catchpole has brought her own artwork in and has come up with the most gorgeous illustrative plates for each page spread, beautifully synchronised with Morris's own intricate and detailed work, derived from national collections and of course the V & A's own exhibits of his craft.

I've long been a fan of William Morris (in fact on a daily basis I carry around a William Morris clipboard that my dear Nan gave to me as a kid, usually with a ton of paper clipped to it for sketching).

I love the fact that here was someone pioneering amazing graphic design long before anyone had access to a computer. His perfect eye for symmetry and detail work beautifully with Liz's glorious seasonal designs.

Two Turtle Doves!

As you can see, the Morris designs have been given a really nice textured look in contrast to Liz's sharp artwork.

Such a beautiful version of the traditional Christmas carol

Sumptuously and luxuriously bound in a wonderful cloth cover again mimicking Morris' style perfectly, it's a real Christmas winner that should delight your little ones.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is out now, published by V & A Publishing.