Little Robin Red Vest

Congratulations to the clever people at Nosy Crow who have reissued Jan Fearnley’s Christmas classic, in a sparkling new edition and with new artwork.

Fable-like, it explains why robins, our favourite cheerful Christmas companions, have red breasts. It’s the week before Christmas and Little Robin is very excited. He has washed and ironed seven warm vests for the frosty days ahead. But each day as he sets out to play in the snow, he meets an animal shivering in the cold and hands over one of his cosy vests until they’re all gone. His generosity does not gone unnoticed – a jolly man in a sleigh pulled by reindeer plucks Robin off a roof and takes him to his home, where the man’s wife knits the little bird a vest with a thread from her husband’s red coat, something to keep Robin warm forever, and to make everyone who sees him feel warm too.

Jan Fearnley’s illustrations are delightfully bright and cosy even as she creates scenes of snowy winter landscapes, and the surprise of the final pages will leave everyone basking in the true Christmas spirit.