Christmas Books by Mrs. Emanuel

Translated as "Yuletide Book Flood" the Icelandic tradition of Jolablokaflod sees a list of the year's new books delivered to every Icelander, so that they may carefully choose a Christmas Eve gift for each of their family and friends. Rather than a flood, in this short blog I will do my best to dip a toe into the waters of some of my own favourites and new reading that I hope will appeal to the children of St. Helen’s College!

I urge you also to support your local independent bookshop if you can; booksellers have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share. Chiltern Bookshops has a gorgeous array of books and gifts, and you can order online at bookshop.org. 

For the youngest readers, Mrs. Mann of Robins is a big fan of the legend that is Julia Donaldson. The super rhymes and repeated refrains in all of her stories give the youngest a joyful part in telling the story. Donaldson's festive Stick Man is my firm family favourite - the drama! The tension! Will he EVER get back to the family tree? Jonty Gentoo is Donaldson's latest lovely book about a little penguin searching for home. 

Other charmers include The Empty Stocking by Richard Curtis and There's a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak, in which an everyday train journey is packed with exotic creatures - all missed by Dad who is glued to his phone screen! It's a gentle reminder to us all to be present in the moment. Niji’s Dream is the delightful story of a brave and kind little alien, created by our own Mr Roche, Head of Literacy. The very youngest Ducklings will enjoy these stories and will also love a sturdy board book with bold images like Dear Santa by Rod Campbell or The Christmas Bear by Ian Whybrow. 

A Whale of a Time can be had with this wonderful large format poem anthology of the same name, one for every day of the year. Who Let the Words Out? by the poet Joshua Siegal and Bright Bursts of Colour by Matt Goodfellow pack a poetic punch in a paperback.

Entertaining reads for confident readers include Pamela Butchart (think The Great Crisp Robbery), the new Kevin the Vampire series by Matt Brown, Clara Vulliamy's The Dog Squad and the Rabbit & Bear series by Julian Gough. A story anthology such as Puffin Stories is a good idea.

Turning to the older reader, mystery and murder have ruled the shelves for a long time - Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series is the very best. The Most Unladylike Puzzle Book is a MUST this year for fans and is already beneath my tree (ssh). Secrets of the Snakestone by Piu DasGupta; Birdie by JP Rose and To Be A Cat by Matt Haig and I Am Wolf by Alastair Chisholm are all super reads. Skander and the Unicorn Thief and Katie and Kevin Tsang's Dragon Force series are excellent introductions to fantasy. 

For the curious minded I suggest the hardback question and answer book There's No Such Thing as a Silly Question. Excellent for the holidays! The Information Book Awards have just awarded prizes to Darwin's Super Pooping-Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen and Human 2.0: A Celebration of Human Bionics by Patrick Kane; the latter looks at the success of medical engineering and what humans might be capable of in the future. FlyingEyeBooks.com publish extraordinary non-fiction titles; Nosy Crow is excellent all round. 

Lastly, the book to provoke the most laughter from all ages in the library has been The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak. Check it out! It's a hilarious book which demands to be read aloud. Back to snowy Iceland. Book gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve so that everyone curls up quietly to explore their new book and a mug of cocoa. I hope you too can find a moment of relaxation with your book choices! Happy Bookmas!