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). 

Time for a perilous and exciting bit of pint-sized detective work with the fabulous Rose Campion!

In "Rose Campion and the Christmas Mystery" by Lyn Gardner and Jez Tuya, Rose is getting ready for Christmas, and in particular can't wait for the pantomime season to begin at Campion's Palace of Varieties and Wonders.

Preparations are well under way and there's a touch of snow in the air.

Yet Rose Campion and her friends have more to worry about than who'll be filling the role of Cinderella this year.

The Duchess - the deadly ruler of the London criminal underworld - has been released from prison, and she has her sights set not only on Rose, but also on a priceless emerald necklace that has just arrived in the city.


Meanwhile, Campions' is playing host to the mysterious hypnotist Madame de Valentina - but how is she able to communicate with the souls of departed loved ones - even before they've actually died?

This is tight writing, and exactly the sort of book that we can't get enough of at this time of year, sizzling with awesome twists and turns, filled with seasonal touches of snow and the grand spectacle of the theatre, with an envious cast of mysterious villains to tax Rose to the very limits of her young detective abilities.

Superb, superb, superb!

"Rose Campion and the Christmas Mystery" by Lyn Gardner with illustrations by Jez Tuya is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review).

The tale of an unlikely friendship will be this year's big Christmas animation, so despite the fact this story isn't really a seasonal one, we thought we'd drop it into our Booky Advent Calendar anyway, as it's likely to be another superb piece of animation from Magic Light Pictures.

"The Snail and the Whale" by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler wasn't actually one of the J & A books we read to C as a tiny tot, but we re-read it to review and love the positive message that underpins Julia's gently rhyming story, replete with Axel's amazing colourful illustrations as we've come to expect from this amazing duo.

Snail is a seasnail and he's bored with sitting on his rock. He wants to see the world, and amazingly his wish is granted by an unlikely ally - a giant blue whale.

Soon they begin to cruise the oceans together, taking in the amazing sights and sounds - but when Whale is temporarily confused by some daft humans in their speedboats, he ends up stranded on a beach.

Can a tiny snail possibly help a gargantuan mammal back into the sea and safety once again?

A fab story of friendship, determination and one tiny mollusc's bravery, this is sure to find an appreciative audience in both book and animated form this Christmas.

"The Snail and the Whale" by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is out now, published by Macmillan Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

What better way to spend a few delightful hours, than in the company of an author who has an absolute knack for writing brilliant stories for mighty girls who love animals.

C loves Paula Harrison's books, even now as a slightly sniffy tweenager who has shrugged off quite a lot of middle grade books.

Her latest series, "Princess of Pets" with gorgeous illustrations from Olivia Chin Mueller is another fantastic range of books setting up mighty girl heroes, sworn to protect animals around the world.

One such hero is Bea, a girl who is visiting her cousins at wintry Peruva Castle, the perfect snowy and wintry setting to fit with the season. 

In the realm of the Snow Leopard, in the cold crisp mountain air, this amazingly elusive predator reigns supreme.

Those of you who watched both of the BBC's "Planet Earth" documentaries will be familiar with the work of Justin Anderson and his amazing wildlife photography and filming, teaming up here with Patrick Benson for a dazzling and evocative look at the amazing Snow Leopard in "Snow Leopard, Grey Ghost of the Mountain".

Justin and Patrick have teamed up to 'storify' the amazing life and habitat of one of the world's most well known but often most misunderstood big cats.

In the harsh environment of the Himalayas, the snow leopard uses its excellent camouflage to stalk mountain goats and other creatures, picking its way carefully across rocky ravines and treacherous boulders, looking after its young and teaching them to tread in its velvety footsteps.

We loved the way this one instantly brought home the atmosphere and the amazing spectacle of these creatures in their native habitat in such a brilliant way. Not exactly a Christmas book but one that's perfect for this time of year as the first wisps of snow threaten to settle.

Here's another bumper collection of Christmas book ideas, perfect as presents for younger readers, from innovative publishers New Frontier.

First up is "Santa's High-Tech Christmas" by Mike Dumbleton and Angela Perrine features a very cool Santa indeed.

He might be old but he's definitely not set in his ways, High Tech Santa is tuned into the world wide web and uses a tablet to keep track of his present list.

But what happens when technology fails? Poor Santa drops his tablet and it looks broken beyond repair. It's up to a plucky little girl to help out and show Santa how it's done.

Perfect storytelling for little ones looking forward to Christmas, particularly if they love their gadgets as much as we do (and as much as Santa does too!)

"Santa's High Tech Christmas" by Mike Dumbleton and Angela Perrine is out now, published by New Frontier Publishing.

Meet two distinguished gents in "Sir Darcy and the Christmas Pudding" by Alex Field and Peter Carnavas.

Mr Darcy loves making his famous Christmas pudding, taking lots of time and care over it and getting the ingredients and preparation just right. 

Day 13 of our Booky Advent Calendar is a delicious romp through the snow. Wait a minute though, is snow supposed to taste sweet?

In "Peanut Butter and Jelly Santa Claus", Reginald (the zombie), Zarfon (the alien), and Abigail Zink (the human) are all preparing for Christmas in Quirkville

There's a problem though - Poor Santa is snowed in! Stuck at the north pole and unable to get his sled out to deliver presents all over the world.

Our three heroes decide to hatch a plan to save the day.

They load into Zarfon’s spaceship and head straight for the North Pole.




When they arrive, they find that Santa and his elves are trapped, not by snow, but by a marshmallow cream explosion.




With a little bit of creativity, a little bit of Christmas spirit, and one big KA-POW!, the pals from Quirkville save Christmas and inadvertently create a delicious treat!

A fun romp that'll satisfy the cravings of those of us with a really sweet tooth! "Peanut Butter and Santa Claus" by Joe McGee and Charles Santoso is out now, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers (kindly supplied for review)

On the twelfth day of our Booky Advent Calendar, our postie gave to us...a classic tale from Hans Christian Andersen, given a thoroughly modern and gorgeous makeover.

"The Little Fir Tree" retold and illustrated by Christopher Corr delves deep into the forest where a tiny lone pine tree grows.

The pine tree has ambitions to see the world, and when the tree is taken to town at Christmas, it feels like all his dreams have come true.

But what will happen the day after Christmas?

As the story of the little fir tree unfolds – brought to enchanting life with the colourful, folk art–inspired artwork of acclaimed author / illustrator Christopher Corr – so does a touching lesson on appreciating what we already have and a hopeful message of rebirth.

"The Little Fir Tree" by Christopher Corr is out now, published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

It's Day 11 on our Booky Advent Calendar and a subject that seems to make kids giggle uncontrollably.

The mere mention of the word "underpants" is enough to set them off, so in "Vegetables in Holiday Underwear" by Jared Chapman, expect a lot of guffaws, sniggers and titters.

There’s underwear for every day of the week and every month of the year. 

Ah, Unicorns, still a firm favourite mythical beast - and there's no reason why they shouldn't be a central character in a fabulous warm-hearted Christmas story.

"The Christmas Unicorn" by Anna Currey is a gorgeous and atmospheric story set in the days leading up to Christmas, about one little girl's magical encounter with a unicorn.

Christmas is just days away. A little girl called Milly and her Mum are staying at Grandpa's house.

Dad has been kept away but will join them just as soon as he can.

But Milly feels a little forlorn, away from her friends and without her Dad.

But then something wonderful happens. Milly meets Florian, a unicorn.

One snowy night, he patters into Grandpa's house and transforms Milly's Christmas, filling it with friendship, surprise and sparkle.

Somehow, Florian makes all Milly's wishes come true.

Anna has crafted a beautifully written and sensitively illustrated picture book that will delight every generation as families come together at Christmas.

"The Christmas Unicorn" by Anna Currey is out now, published by OUP / Oxford Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).