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. 

Our First Book of the Week this week is so perfectly timed for the current weather that we want to treat it like our favourite hot water bottle and hug it close...

As much as we might think that children's picture books are a new and shiny idea, amazing picture books that cast the template for books we know and love today are much older than you think.