SO here we are again. Last year’s advent blog, which I had conceived imagining myself sitting by the Christmas tree, whisky in one hand, iPad in the other while the children sang carols in the background, turned into a bleary eyed marathon. Apparently there was other stuff that needed doing for Christmas. Who knew?

This year (to save me from tears), I’ve prepared my 24 handpicked Christmas books for children a little better. Every day you’ll find a new gem, ranging from modern classics to vintage obscurities, with the odd poem, comic and app thrown in.

Thanks go to my ever patient family and also to the good people of pinterest, who have been inspiring me with obscure festive delights all year. Now go on, have a peak behind a door.

December 1st – Tove Jansson’s Moomins in The Fir Tree

December 2nd – Snow by Uri Shulevitz

December 3rd – Bugs at Christmas by Beatrice Alemagna

December 4th – The Christmas Eve Ghost by Shirley Hughes

December 5th – The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket

December 6th – The Little Steamroller by Edward Ardizzone

December 7th – Where Art Thou, Mother Christmas? by Roald Dahl

December 8th – Petunia’s Christmas

December 9th – Pippi’s Christmas Guests by Astrid Lindgren & Ingrid Vang Nyman

December 10th – Olive the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold

December 11th – The Little Matchgirl by Hans Christian Andersen & Blair Lent

December 12th – The Happy Christmas Book by Satoshi Kitamora et al

December 13th – A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith

December 14th – The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

December 15th – Another Appy Christmas

December 16th – Christmas in Exeter Street by Diana Hendry and John Lawrence

December 17th – The Magic Carousel by Dorothy Levenson and Ati Forburg

December 18th – The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

December 19th – Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara

December 20th – The Tractate Middoth by M.R. James

December 21st – At Christmastime by Worth and Frasconi

December 22nd – Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel

December 23rd – Snowflake by Paul Gallico

December 24th – Father Christmas Goes on Holiday

Merry blooming Christmas everyone!