Can you recommend books to put in an under eight-year-old child’s stocking, that might even be entertaining at 5am when we want to still be asleep?
If you have a family policy that only one present can be opened before the parents are awake then a book at the top can be a very useful way of buying a bit of time to sleep in!
While most of the following are far actually too big to fit in a stocking, they are certainly inviting enough to entertain anyone waking in the early hours – and can be laid on top of said stocking (unless you have very big stockings!).
Lucy Cousins has been delighting young readers for years with her books, which almost always have special effects and features. Maisy’s Pirate Ship has a wonderfully tactile embossed cover for little hands to enjoy even before they have entered into the story. Once inside, Maisy and her friends are off on an exciting adventure following their special map to find hidden treasure. The surprise pop-up pirate ship will delight too.
Petr Horáček’s The Mouse Who reached the Sky is a celebration of friendship and the value of working together and sharing – a useful antidote to the more familiar self-interest of Christmas day.
Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell’s A Great Big Cuddle, subtitled Poems for the Very Young, is a rambunctious collection of poems, chants and rhymes of all kinds. Chris Riddell’s expressive and vital illustrations capture the many and varied moods and rhythms of Michael Rosen’s verses.
To provide some creative activity Bugs: Pop-Out Stencil Art by Laura Hambleton doesn’t require much in the way of resources before the 15 easy-to-use stencils can be turned into attractive artwork. The combined book and craft package of Junior Builder: Emergency Vehicles by Chris Oxlade will also provide hours of fun – although the more fiddly elements of the makes may also create some early Christmas tension! The 24-page book is full of interesting facts about the different kinds of emergency vehicles including an ambulance, a rescue helicopter and a police motorbike. Models of all of these can be made from the press-out sheets that accompany them and they can be decorated with the plentiful stickers that are also included.
Chris Riddell’s Doodle a Day would entrance children of any age – although perhaps not on Christmas Day itself as the book doesn’t officially begin until 1 January. On every page, the Children’s Laureate includes a small drawing by himself, some tips about drawing or a provocation about what to write while also leaving a nice space which is attractively framed free for anyone enjoying the book to make their own contribution. Maybe you could also include a small pad and pencil for some pre-new year doodling.
Few are going to want to settle down with a long book at the beginning of Christmas Day but Joan Aiken’s Mortimer and the Sword Excalibur, illustrated by Quentin Blake, is the perfect length. The raven Mortimer and his owner Arabel were created for the BBCs classic Jackanory series which was launched 50 years ago. There are many stories about the pair; this time Mortimer is determined to find the missing sword of the legendary King Arthur. It’s an exciting romp that is perfectly captured in Quentin Blake’s illustrations.
In contrast,and to offer a moment for thought that the whole family can share, is Anne Booth and Sam Usher’s moving Refuge. A retelling of the Christmas story told in the voice of the donkey who carried an un-named man, woman and baby to safety long, long ago it is a reminder of all those who are currently refuges and the dangers they face as they search for a place of safety. Sam Usher’s illustrations are inspirational.
If you have great recommendations on this theme let us know on Twitter Twitter @GdnChildrensBks or by emailing childrens.books@theguardian.com and we’ll add your ideas to this blog. You can use the same email address to ASK the Book Doctor a books related question.
