TWENTY FOUR DAYS TO CHRISTMAS
by Fred Arthur
Illustrated by Paul Winward
Clink Street Publishing
Children's Holiday Fiction
72 pages
Poppy is in agony - it is the First of December
and she has twenty-four days to wait until Christmas and she is convinced that
she will not be able to contain her excitement and impatience: How can she
possibly wait so long for Santa to arrive? Poppy's parents put their heads
together and come up with a cunning plan that has Poppy completing a different,
Christmas themed activity every day, to keep Her busy until Christmas (and
Santa) finally arrives. Twenty-Four Days to Christmas is
an Advent Calendar of a book, which can be read one day at a time, or as a
complete story, and centres on Christmas, family and the magic of the Christmas
season.
Purchase
from Amazon UK - here
11) Christmas is about
family and friends
22) Christmas is about giving to
others and engaging with family, friends and other people: It is how we should
be all year long!
33) Christmas is about
Love; Laughter; Friendship and Generosity.
T4) There is nothing better than the look on the face of someone you love when they
open your perfect present.
Christmas is about helping those that can’t help themselves
MY TIDBITS
Through a sweet story, this book offers a terrific way for parents and kids to bridge those last days before Christmas.
Poppy, a little girl with tons of spirit, can't wait for Christmas to come! And twenty-four days is such a long time. Luckily, life doesn't sit around and wait, but rather offers a small adventure every day.
The book is broken down into short chapters, one for every day from December 1st until that wondrous day of Christmas. Each day, Poppy experiences a fun, little adventure. . .nothing too outlandish, but rather simple happenings of daily life which make the waiting so much more fun. The stories are short, sweet and with a girl as happy as Poppy, simply a treat to read/listen too.
There are two things which really made this book stand out. One are the illustrations. Each day holds a cute picture of Poppy and her adventures. But that's not all. Every couple of paragraphs, a small, Christmasy item is plopped in to keep things colorful and lively.
The other thing which sticks out is the subtle hint at activities--not that this is a book packed with hobby or bake ideas. As Poppy jumps from one day to the next, sometimes she finds herself creating things (like with a pine cone.) These experiences are just enough to spark ideas in readers'/listeners' heads and offer great inspirations for simple and quick Christmas projects. So be prepared!
Summed up, this is a wonderful read for parents, grandparents and others to share with kids ages four and up during the last count-down to Christmas.
And here he is. . .
Fred Arthur is the combined pen name for
friends Pincher Martin and Mike Dineen who met working in the Royal Navy.
Leaving school at the age of fifteen Pincher Martin entered the Royal Navy as
an Able Seaman and now holds the rank of Commander. Living with his family in
Plymouth but working in Portsmouth writing creative emails and text messages to
his young daughter has become part of his daily life. Mike Dineen graduated
from St Andrew’s University before joining the Royal Navy, and he too holds the
rank of Commander. Mike lives with his wife in Pickering, North Yorkshire and
works in Scotland. Both are keen sportsmen and qualified life coaches. Their
goal is to become successful authors, so that when the Royal Navy finally
forces them to retire, it will enable them to fulfil their shared desire to
support local schools and libraries, satisfy their passion for writing and
foster a belief in the importance of reading and imagination for children of
all ages.
Fred
Arthur on Twitter - https://twitter.com/fredarthurbooks
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