The Books for Keeps Christmas Gift Guide 2021

Author:

Father Christmas is spoiled for choice this year. The BfK reviewing elves have scarcely seen such a dazzling array of new books for children, perfect for seasonal giving. What follows is a selection of favourites, but use our review section, Books of the Year and Book of the Week reviews too to draw up your gift lists and you’ll be sure of a very happy Christmas.

Books for the very young

Father Christmas stars in two of our choices, though not as you know him. ‘‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring … except for one mouse.’ In The Mouse Before Christmas Tracey Turner takes Clement C Moore’s Christmas classic and reimagines it with a cheerful, red-suited mouse taking Santa’s part. As the other little mice doze, he takes to the skies in a sleigh pulled by beetles, distributing gifts of toys, crackers and plenty of cheese. The poetry stands up and Jenny Løvlie’s illustrations are thoroughly charming. Ever wondered what Santa Claus was like as a child? Little Santa by Jon Agee gives us the back story as only he can, a story full of humour and inventiveness, told with impeccable timing. Jane Ray’s folklorish illustrations with their sumptuous colours invite readers into the worlds she depicts and that is the case in Grace and the Christmas Angel, written by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whitaker, a heart-warming story set in a little fishing village and featuring a real Christmas miracle. Lo and Behold! Mouse and Mole by Joyce Dunbar and James Mayhew also concludes on Christmas Day. Mouse and Mole are getting ready for the big day, and for Mole it can’t come soon enough. Their relationship is depicted with such warmth, love and skill by author and illustrator and these little tales are full of magic. Yuval Zommer’s The Lights that Dance in the Night, a tribute to the beauty of the Northern Lights, does not refer to Christmas but its message of light in the dark, hope and togetherness is perfect for the season and his gorgeous illustrations dazzle. We’re also recommending Tiny Reindeer by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros, Evie’s Christmas Wishes by Siobhan Parkinson and Shannon Bergin, and An Odd Dog Christmas by Rob Biddulph.

For the very, very youngest, Andersen Press have a Christmas-tree-shaped board book Elmer adventure, My First Elmer Christmas, which is very appealing, and Don’t Tickle the Polar Bear, in Usborne’s touchy-feely sounds series, concludes with a wonderful chorus of polar animals. Bizzy Bear Snow Fun by Benji Davies features Bizzy Bear and friends enjoying wintery adventures and a push up ski-jump that will have everyone giggling. Two novelty books caught our eyes, a pop-up edition of The Snow Queen with exquisite illustrations by Lesley Barnes, and Inside the Suitcase, new from Clotilde Perrin. Lift flaps beneath flaps and follow a young boy on an amazing adventure, that takes him over mountains and forests, deep-sea swimming with jellyfish and safely back home. Quirky and mischievous it’s full of surprises.

Poetry and anthologies

CLiPPA winner Zaro Weil’s collection When Poems Fall from the Sky will bring a burst of colour into the darkest winter day. A mix of poems, rhymes, haiku, raps, and short plays, inspired by Kew Gardens and, more widely, the natural world, it offers memorable, vivid snapshots of nature, and is beautifully illustrated in full colour by Junli Song. Wonder meanwhile is an anthology of poems inspired by the Natural History Museum collection and features poems on everything from dodos to diamonds, mammals to meteorites. Curated by Ana Sampson, and featuring a diverse array of poets, the book is a wonder indeed, the poetry giving a genuine sense of the magnificence of the museum’s collections; it’s surprising, inspiring, eye-opening. Another celebration of the natural world, Carnival of the Animals is Michael Morpurgo’s Christmas album if you like, a series of sparkling new animal poems, all first-person narratives newly written by Morpurgo and inspired by the Saint-Saëns classic. Illustrated by Michael Foreman it’s a tour de force, marked by the author’s brio and zest for life. William Sieghart, of Poetry Pharmacy fame, has now compiled an anthology for children, Everyone Sang. Here are poems to calm, move, inspire, or just make the heart feel lighter. Featuring poets old and new, and gloriously illustrated by Emily Sutton, it will be lovely to share with children, and is a book to turn poetry into a friend for life, as Sieghart intends. Finally, Allie Esiri provides readers – of all ages – with A Poet for Every Day of the Year, a collection of infinite variety and the perfect way to bring poetry into your daily routine.

Story Collections

This is the perfect time of year for story collections. From Scholastic, Bedtime Stories: Beautiful Black Tales from the Past is a celebratory and joyful collection of tales from Black history, based on important figures and events from around the world. Perfect for any child wanting to learn more about history’s untold stories, and bedtime reading with a difference. Costa Book Award winner Natasha Farrant’s The Girl Who Talked to Trees is a magical collection of interlinked tales in each of which a young girl encounters a talking tree and listens to their stories. Farrant successfully combines magic with a conservation message and natural science in a book that genuinely enchants. Crime stories continue to grip young readers, and The Very Merry Murder Club, edited by Serena Patel and Robin Stevens, will satisfy all junior Marples and Poirots. Contributors include criminal masterminds Patrice Lawrence, Roopa Farooki and Sharna Jackson as well as Elle McNicoll and Maisie Chan. We also recommend Catherine Fisher’s eerie collection The Red Gloves and Other Stories and Magical Tales by Quentin Blake and John Yeoman, newly reissued by Pavilion. Arthur the Always King written by Kevin Crossley-Holland and illustrated by Chris Riddell is simply unmissable. Stories of Arthur have been enthralling readers for eight hundred years, and who better than this author and this illustrator to convey their subtlety and power. Arthur and his court emerge as real, living people, glorious and flawed, and this is a book to treasure.

Books for young readers

Fans of Lauren Child are in for a treat this year: Oxford have published a gift edition of Pippi Longstocking with her sublime colour illustrations and there is a also new story starring Clarice Bean, Clarice Bean Think Like an Elf. Readers first met Clarice in 1999 believe it or not, but she’s lost none of her sharpness. Clarice is concerned that her parents are planning a quietish festive season, with just their immediate family; mostly undeterred, she sets out to change that and, by thinking like an elf, bring goodwill to all peoplekind. Fiction for young people doesn’t come more witty, stylish, or innovative; how could anyone turn down Christmas with the Beans? There’s a return too for another favourite character, Winston, Alex T Smith’s intrepid mouse. With just five days to go until Christmas, Winston sets out to bring home a very special mouse… will he be back to spend Christmas with Oliver? As with How Winston Delivered Christmas (now available in paperback), How Winston Came Home for Christmas is an Advent story in a book, designed to be read one chapter a night from 1 December, each entry accompanied by a festive craft activity. It’s good enough to entertain readers all year round however, and Winston is a warm-hearted, immensely lovable companion.

Non-fiction

You’ll need to keep a space for non-fiction books under the tree too. Imogen Russell Williams neatly and succinctly introduces fifty Great Britons in her book of the same name. From Paul McCartney to Stormzy, Florence Nightingale to Aneurin Bevan, Mary Shelley to Judith Kerr, she tells their stories and describes the ways they have changed Britain – and the world beyond it – for the better. The introduction explains our complicated past, and how some people in history achieved or created amazing things, but also held harmful beliefs. Roald Dahl’s genius is celebrated in The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl, a full colour companion to the stories packed with newspaper clippings, letters, diary entries and even recipes plus a bonus envelope of activities to inspire budding writers. If you love the books, you’ll love this. Natural history lovers have much to enjoy too: Journey to the Last River, ostensibly the journal of an Amazon explorer is an enticing fusion of fiction and facts, and will make readers feel they are experiencing the jungle first-hand. Botanist Dr Chris Thorogood does for plants what many have done for dinosaurs and When Plants Took Over the Planet emphasises their amazing diversity and evolutionary history. Inside In, published by Greystone Press, uses X-Ray photographs to wonderful effect, a beautiful and different way of understanding the creatures featured, each image accompanied by revealing text. For kids who ask questions, we recommend The Britannica First Big Book of Why and The Encyclopedia of Unbelievable Facts from Frances Lincoln.

Stocking fillers

Just room to squeeze in three stocking filler recommendations: the crayons sum up Christmas in Green is for Christmas by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers; Isadora Moon spreads her magic in Isadora Moon and the Shooting Star; and The Christmas Carrolls by Mel Taylor-Bessent is fresh, funny and festive with a capital F.