Noel Streatfeild's Christmas Stories. Reviewed by Adèle Geras

I've been reading Noel Streatfeild for nearly seventy years. If you ask any woman of my age which were the important books in her childhood, chances are that Ballet Shoes will be one of them. It ticked every single box for me. I longed for siblings, I longed for the limelight, I loved performing and the adventures of these sisters and the adults who surrounded them became a kind of ideal for me.

This little book, beautifully produced by Virago in time to take its place under many Christmas trees, is illustrated by Peter Bailey, with delightful decorations at the beginning of each story and black and white sketches throughout. 

It's a short book.  There are nine stories of just the right length to read in bed at night. Just the right length to be read aloud, too, and Streatfeild reads aloud very well. The tales have a Christmassy and theatrical feel to them. There are pantomimes, Christmas shows, performances of one kind or another that the young heroines are ambitious to appear in. In one story, a girl takes the place of her father who's been playing a goose in pantomime for years and years. He falls ill just before the first night and she steps nobly into the breach. There's a story where fictional characters from children's books come together to raise a sick child from her bed, in the nick of time. Incidentally, the list of books a child of about nine has read and calls upon to help him is most impressive. Old people are helped, parents are hard-working and not very rich, there's a wonderful trip to the country for two London-bound children and there's always a happy ending, which is always welcome, especially at Christmas.

And throughout, there's a strong sense of Streatfeild's own preoccupations: the theatre, the relationship between siblings, and parents and children, and in the background the strong atmosphere of London between 1949 and 1962. It's a very different world from the one we inhabit now, but still one that today's young readers will enjoy enormously.  The language is plain, but Streatfeild has the gift of evoking a place and characters in very few, well-chosen words. The stories can be enjoyed by children as young as eight or nine, and their parents and grandparents will enjoy reading them as well. 

Anyone who finds this under the tree will be delighted. 

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Christmas with the Savages by Mary Clive review by Lynda Waterhouse

Evelyn is an only child; a serious little girl who lived ‘in a tall London house which you would have thought rather grand and very dull.’ Separated from her parents she is dispatched to Old Lady Tamerlane’s where she will spend Christmas with her and all of her grandchildren.

This story was written by Mary Clive, Lady Mary Katharine Pakenham. It was first published in 1955 and is a sharp and funny description of an aristocratic Edwardian family Christmas. Think Roald Dahl meets Downton Abbey with a sprinkling of Daisy Ashford’s Little Visiters.

Evelyn first encounters the Savages on the train where she is faced with the question, “Are you a Cavalier or a Roundhead?”

Evelyn is flummoxed by Lionel, Harry, Rosamund and Betty and with their noisy and wild ways. As well as the Savage children there are also the Glens and the Howliboos each with their own Nana. Each Nana is competing to rule the nursery with hilarious consequences.

Evelyn finds herself taking part in a series of adventures and misadventures.

Everyone hangs up their stocking on Christmas Eve;

‘We were all excited but in different ways, from Tommy who was so horrified and revolted by the idea of a dreadful old man coming down the chimney in the middle of the night that they had to hang his stocking outside his door, to Lionel who had put a wet sponge beside his bed with the worst intentions. I was in that state when you don’t know what to expect or whom to believe…’

This is a perfect bedtime read for the holiday season.

Published by Puffin Books

ISBN 978-0-141-36112-3

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Closing the page for now . . . and Happy Christmas to all our readers.

If you’ve just visited the Awfully Big Blog Adventure, you’ll know that our Scattered Authors Society blog has just begun its annual holiday. 

However, Awfully Big Reviews is sneaking away too, so that there will be time to read and eat and do all sorts of nice things so everyone is bright & fully refreshed for the first of January, and ready to bring you a mix of book suggestions during 2016.

Huge thanks to all the wonderful ABR reviewers who between themselves make sure that a new choice appears here every fourth day. I know that writing a book review demands a good amount of time: first to read the book well and thoughtfully and, secondly, to find the best words to describe what the book is “about” and also what it is about this particular book that makes it so appealing or interesting or clever or insightful or amusing or any or many of the ways in which a book can speak to a reader.

So many, many thanks to all the Awfully Big Review team:

 Pippa Goodhart, Adele Geras, Pauline Francis, Jackie Marchant, Julia Jones, Dawn Finch, Ann Turnbull, Lynda Waterhouse, Damian Harvey, Tamsyn Murray, Gillian Phillip, Sue Purkiss, Saviour Pirotta, Rhian Ivory, Tamsin Cook and Sarah Hammond.  

Thank you all for your work, help, reliability and patience. I’ll look forward to reading more of your suggestions and recommendations in 2016. 

Meanwhile, it’s time to close the blog until that January arrives. I hope that everyone, especially all the ABBA & ABR contributors and readers, has a happy holiday and a fine New Year, and all manner of good times, lovely things and wonderful books to enjoy in the year to come. 

Warmest wishes, Penny Dolan

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‘When It Snows’ by Richard Collingridge reviewed by Pauline Chandler

Browsing in our local book shop (yes, we still have one !) for Christmas picture books for my grandson, my eyes were drawn to the beautiful cover of ‘When It Snows’. Its sombre night time colours really stood out from the rest. There’s that huge reindeer too, towering over a very small child. It looked unusual, if not slightly threatening, but I was attracted to it and intrigued, so I opened this beautiful book. I’m so glad I did. It’s a gem.

The images of giants continue throughout the story.

We have a giant train, enormous snowman, gigantic trees and the towering Queen of the Poles, and there's that reindeer, hung all over with sacks and boxes of presents, its antlers rearing up like huge leafless trees. As I followed the story I realised that the unusual proportions could reflect a small child's point of view, as well as what we might expect from the world of myth. There are small characters too, fairies and elves, and Santa is reassuringly human size. 

These illustrations are all beautifully depicted in the same sombre colours as the cover, dark blues and greys, the shades of a winter’s night in a magical landscape. No Disney glitz here!

Richard Collingridge writes and illustrates his own stories, a skill I’ve always admired, and both aspects of ‘When It Snows’ are outstanding.  It's true that the story follows a traditional pattern, with the boy narrator setting out on a journey, to exciting destinations: ‘the place where the snowmen live’, ‘the gloomy forest, Where I meet the Queen of the Poles’ and finally ‘a secret place’ where he finds Santa Claus. What makes this is story different is the twist the writer puts on these traditional elements. I especially love the idea of Santa having just one giant reindeer! 

There’s a delightful ending too, where the child narrator tells us that he can find these places again, at any time, by opening his favourite book.

This is a story about imagination, fairy tale, myth and magic, just a step away from a child's real world. Recently, there was the case of a vicar who baldly told children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. How short sighted of him!  How wrong to limit a child’s dreams and imagination!  This lovely book says ‘There might be,’ ‘There could be’, ’Wouldn’t it be wonderful if-‘.  I prefer that approach. It was the one I took with my own children, adding ‘no one’s ever seen him, so we just don’t know.’ I wish I’d been able to share 'When It Snows’ with them. I’m sure it would have become a Christmas favourite.

Highly recommended for age 5+

'When It Snows' by Richard Collingridge, publ. David Fickling Books

Pauline Chandler

www.paulinechandler.com   

     

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The Fairytale Hairdresser and Father Christmas, by Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard. Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

TITLE: THE FAIRYTALE HAIRDRESSER AND FATHER CHRISTMAS
by Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard
Published by Picture Corgi
Publication date: 24 September 2014
Paperback

Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard's Fairytale Hairdresser series continues with a seasonal instalment that pits Kittie the hairdresser against the infamous Snow Queen.

It's the season to be jolly and Kittie is worked off her feet coiffuring various celebrity customers.  But when she clocks in at Santa's workshop to see to the elves' hair, she discovers that someone has stolen the presents meant for the inhabitants in fairyland.   Who could the culprit be and why would they seek to ruin everyone's Christmas?

Longstaff's adventure moves at a cracking pace, seamlessly binding new plot and fairy tale elements. The story begs to be read again and again while Beard's illustrations yields extra gems. As in the previous books featuring Kittie, there are a lot of visual puns.  The spreads showing Santa's workshops and the ice-skating ring at the end are especially delightful.

A grand pantomime of a book, not to be missed.

Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

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The Last Of The Spirits by Chris Priestley - Review by Dawn Finch

First the blurb....

London is in the icy grip of winter. Sam is freezing and hungry. When he asks a wealthy man, Ebeneezer Scrooge, for money he is rudely refused. Sam is filled with violent rage and vows to kills this selfish man. Later, huddled in a graveyard for warmth, Sam sees the wraithlike figure of a man approaching. The man warns Sam about the terrible future which awaits him if he chooses the path of murder...

Chris Priestley has enviable talent as a writer of Gothic tales and, in November 2014, adds The Last of the Spirits to his growing bookshelf of titles. 'Tis the season of ghosts and icy nights, and so this is a fitting time to bring out this companion to Dickens' Christmas Carol. Companion is exactly what this book is, those expecting a simple retelling will be in for a pleasant surprise as this tale stands solidly beside Christmas Carol, but this is no retelling.

Last of the Spirits follows the misfortune of two homeless children on the icy streets of 19th Century London. The two children, siblings Sam and Lizzie, are caught up in the spectral visitations that plague Scrooge through his tormented Christmas Eve. They are not part of Ebeneezer's story yet, they have their own tale to tell first.

Many writers have tried to snack at the groaning table of Dickens' remarkable works, but Priestley brings something new and satisfying to the feast. In a time of over-long tomes filled with wasted words, this book is refreshingly bright and to the point. No wasted words here. Priestley writes with blade-sharp clarity and this story is completely new, whilst also having a reassuringly familiar quality. It is rather like finding out something new and fascinating about an old family member. Priestley has turned the camera-eye around on the classic tale, thus allowing us to see what else might have been happening at the same time. The story has lots of chilling moments, plenty of ghosts, and you can really feel the deep icy cold of the season as you read it. I recommend a nice cosy room when you read this!

One thing that really jumped out at me (including the startling spirits!) was how well this book reads aloud. Even the best of books sometimes fall down when it comes to reading them aloud, but Last of the Spirits would make an excellent book to share aloud with others. Dickens regularly read Christmas Carol out loud and did so for decades after publication. Some books are written to be heard as well as read, and I can see this taking its place as one of those books brought out every year to share again.

Review by Dawn Finch (author of Brotherhood of Shades. www.dawnfinch.com)

Last of the Spirits by Chris Priestley

Suggested reading age - 9-11

Pub - Bloomsbury

06 November 2014

ISBN - 9781408854136

Cover price - £10.99

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ROOM FOR A LITTLE ONE, by Martin Waddell, reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

Christmas is just two months away. Time to start looking for good Christmas books to give as presents or to use for reading time in school!  May I recommend Martin Waddell's overlooked gem ROOM FOR A LITTLE ONE.

Martin Waddell is known the world over for award-winning picture books like Owl Babies, Can't You Sleep Little Bear and Farmer Duck.  This title, however, is not so well known in the UK, although it is a big hit in the United States where readers have taken it to their hearts.

It retells the nativity story from the point of view of the ox. In Christian folk culture, an ox warmed the newly-born Jesus with her breath.  Here she takes centre-stage! It's a bitterly cold night, and a succession of animals take refuge in the pile of warm straw laid out for the ox.  The last of these animals is a donkey, and she brings with her a mum about to give birth...

The language used is simple but poetic.  The phrase, 'There's always room for a little one here,' is repeated on every spread, inviting the listener to join in. I love how the animals, who would be enemies outside the barn, are here united by their common need for warmth and shelter.

Jason Cockcroft's artwork is classic in style.  The predominant colours on every spread are brown and blue, suggesting night, but there is always a spot of orange and yellow, a hint of warmth and cosiness.  All in all this is one of the best Christmas books out there, the perfect present for loved ones.

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