Review: How Winston Delivered Christmas: An Advent story in twenty-four-and-a-half chapters

How Winston Delivered Christmas: An Advent story in twenty-four-and-a-half chapters by Alex T. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Winston is a very clever little mouse. He knows about Christmas and Santa, so when he finds an undelivered letter on Christmas Eve, he knows there's only one thing to do. After all, everyone deserves to feel special at Christmas...

This beautiful book is divided into 24 chapters, one for each day of December, interspersed with activities, games and decorations. It's a very clever idea and I expect it will become a Christmas tradition in a lot of households. Poor Winston and his struggles will make for a fantastic read.

(And I very much hope he gets to meet up with his friends again!)



As (Winston) looked around he spotted a curious object set up nearby. It was a large toy building a bit like a doll's house but it looked more like a barn or a stable. Inside several statues were standing on a bed of clean, sweet-smelling straw. There was a woman in blue and several men. Some were dressed in fancy clothes and others were dressed like farmers and there were even some pretend sheep standing beside them. Everyone was looking at a tiny wooden box in the middle. It was filled with straw and inside, fast asleep, was a tiny model baby.
That does look like a nice place to have a sleep, Winston thought, and he yawned. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt if he just had the tiniest of naps there beside the baby? But as he began clambering into the scene the choir finished singing and the congregation clapped. The sudden noise made Winston stop sharply in his tracks. He waggled his whiskers.
'Winston!' he said sternly to himself. 'Fancy thinking about having a nap when you haven't finished your Important Job!' And with a flick of his tail, he forced himself to pad down the aisle and back out into the cold night. He thought about the little baby asleep in the wooden box full of straw and promised himself that, as it was Christmas, he would come back when the letter was delivered and have a nap in that nice peaceful building while candles flickers warmly around him.

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Review: Through the Water Curtain and other Tales from Around the World

Through the Water Curtain and other Tales from Around the World by Cornelia Funke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read a lot of folk and fairy tales. I know a lot of them. This is a fantastic collection of lesser known folk tales. I knew (versions of) three of these, but they were all very enjoyable. Cornelia Funke's musing on each title are thought provoking, but not too deep for young children. The compact size and lovely illustrations will make it a great gift this Christmas. A fantastic addition to Pushkin's collection.


Back home the old father sat in the choom with his youngest daughter, waiting in vain for the storm to abate. But the blizzard redoubled its force, and it seemed the camp would be blown away at any minute.

"My daughters did not heed my words," the old man reflected, sadly. "They have angered Kotura even more. Go to him, my last daughter, though it breaks my heart to part with you; but you alone can save our clan from certain doom."

Youngest daughter left the camp, turned her face into the north wind and pushed the sled before her.

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Review: Ladybird Tales of Adventurous Girls: With an Introduction From Jacqueline Wilson

Ladybird Tales of Adventurous Girls: With an Introduction From Jacqueline Wilson by Ladybird
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this time of year; the beautiful anthologies and collections start piling in, almost too many to read. This one I definitely made time for. Five folktales from around the world, each featuring a brave, clever girl who solves problems on her own.

You'll know Gretal and Hansel, of course, and probably the Snow Queen, but the others may be new to you. Each story is illustrated by a different artist, so there's plenty of styles to look at and enjoy. I love collections with stories I haven't read before, and this one certainly delivers on that.

Fantastic. Put this one on the Christmas lists.



"If she doesn't go, then neither do you," said their mother.
So off the three sisters went, down the long path to the sea.
"Don't you go anywhere without us," Tisha said to Tamasha, as she and Tosha rushed into the waves, laughing and splashing.
Tamasha sighed. I would much rather be searching for a tree to climb, she thought. But instead she paddled at the water's edge.

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Review: Vox

Vox by Christina Dalcher
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

A difficult one to review. I like the idea, and it was handled well, but I wish the enemy hadn't been regular Christians. A new sect would have been much easier to take.

I didn't follow a lot of the science...I really hope it's not that easy to create aphasia in someone...and there seemed to be a lot of lucky coincidences along the way. Sometimes life is like that, of course. I liked this, and I'll read more books by the author, but it's not one of my top books for the year.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.


The clock on the lab wall says five. I have less than forty eight hours to make what I know will be an irreversible decision.

My parents, this baby the size of an orange inside me, and Lorenzo balance on one side of the scale. Patrick and the kids, on the other. Two seemingly inevitable but different fates hang over each choice like a storm cloud. Stay and wait for Reverend Carl to rachet up his terrible game, or go and watch Europe crumble to its knees, close up, front row, best seats in the house.

Next to me, Lorenzo inches closer, enough so that our hands touch. It's a solid feeling, those fingers of his brushing mine.

But it's not enough.

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Review: The Rescued Kitten

The Rescued Kitten by Holly Webb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The strength of Holly Webb's books...one of their strengths, anyway...is the relatively predictable plot. Child has always wanted pet, child gets pet, maybe child can't keep pet/loses pet, child keeps/finds pet, everyone's happy. It's a formula that has seen Holly through more than forty of these books, and they're fantastic for newly confident readers who find comfort in familiarity. This story mixes things up a little...the newly discovered kitten isn't in any real danger, but her siblings and mother might be...but the core of the story stays the same.

The other strength of Holly's books is her writing. I often find myself tearing up as I read. Holly has certainly hit on a winning formula here, and long may it continue.


It must be her mother coming back to get her, the kitten decided. Her mother wouldn't abandon her like this. The kitten tried again to wriggle, and then mewed, as loud as she could. Find me, help me, take me home, I'm frightened!
Even though it was her loudest mew, the sound was still very faint. Hardly more than a squeak. She tried again, squeaking and tugging back against the wire as hard as she could. It bounced a little and she squeaked once more, with pain this time as the long fur on the back of her neck pulled and the wire pressed into her skin.
The noise was coming closer and she twisted her body, pulling to try and see what was making it, still calling faintly to her mother. But instead of a cat hurrying to rescue her, the kitten saw two frightened, wide eyed faces. She wrenched at the wire again and the cut on her neck went deeper. It hurt and she sagged down miserably. She was terrified and so, so tired.
She didn't understand. All she could do was close her eyes and hope that whoever this was would go away and then her mother would come.

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Review: Illustrated Stories for Bedtime, published by Usborne

The newest in Usborne's Illustrated Story Collections is a beautiful hardback aimed at children just beginning to read. The eight stories span from the well known - King Donkey Ears, The Enormous Turnip - to the slightly more obscure - The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Danny the Dragon. Each is beautifully illustrated. Your child will love reading the stories with you. A real treasure.


There was once a poor man named Wilf. He would travel from town to town looking for work, with only his dog, Scruff, and a very special stone.

One day, he came to a small cream cottage with a thatched roof. "Let's try here," he said to Scruff and rapped on the door.

It was opened by a woman who gave him a suspicious look. "Who are you?" she snapped. "What do you want?"

"Good morning ma'am," said Wilf. "I was wondering if you had any small jobs I could do, in return for some lunch?"

"I'm sorry, I don't have any jobs," said the woman, starting to close the door.

"I can make soup from a stone," Wilf said, quickly.

"Really?" said the woman. "That I'd like to see," and she invited him in.

Review: Illustrated Stories for Christmas, published by Usborne

Usborne's Christmas books are always beautiful and this one is no exception. Part of the Young Reading range, the stories range from classic Christams tales – 'Twas the Night before Christmas and The Snow Queen – to more modern stories – The Elf and the Toymaker and Santa's Day Off – to classic tales – East o'the Sun, West o'the Moon. Each is beautifully illustrated and written to appeal to children. Perfect to share with your young children on a snowy afternoon.


Wandering home that night, Kay gazed at the sparkling snowflakes drifitng down. As he stared, he noticed one that seemed to be growing. He gasped. The snowflake grew larger...

...until it became a beautiful woman. She was astonishing. Her shimmering white clothes were coated in snow and she herself was made entirely of ice.

'The Snow Queen!'

The woman turned her bright, cold eyes on Kay. He shook his head and she vanished. 'I must have imagined her,' he thought.

Review: Illustrated Grimm's Fairy Tales, published by Usborne

The Young Reading collections are always beautiful and the newest in the series is no exception. The fifteen stories are a mix between the well known - Snow White, The Elves and the Shoemaker - and the lesser known - The Bear and the Wren, King Thrushbeard. Each story is illustrated in a slightly different style, making for easy identification. The book is satisfyingly chunky, but the stories are simple enough for even the youngest children.

A perfect bedtime treat.

One winter's morning, the queen was sitting beside her window sewing when it began to snow. The snowflakes drifted like feathers down from the sky and settled on the window ledge.

As the queen watched them, her needle slipped and pricked her finger. Three drops of blood fell onto the snow.

'I wish I had a child,' she sighed, 'with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as the ebony wood of the window frame.'

Nine months later the queen's wish came true and she gave birth to a baby girl. The king was delighted. 'Let's call her Snow White,' he suggested.

But the king's happiness didn't last long. The queen became very ill and within a week she died. He and Snow White were all alone.