Whether you are on the naughty list or the nice list you definitely deserve to treat yourself and your loved ones to a good book. We have complied a short list of recommended reads by some of our Arena Illustrators to give you a little seasonal sparkle on the lead up to the festive period.
How Winston Delivered Christmas written and illustrated by Alex T Smith published by Macmillan
From Alex T. Smith, bestselling author of the Claude series, How Winston Delivered Christmas – the irresistible story of the brave little mouse who sets out on an adventure on Christmas Eve. Featuring beautiful colour artwork from the author and Christmassy activities to make-and-do throughout December, this gorgeous book is sure to become a festive family tradition that will be enjoyed year after year.
Winston the mouse is on a Very Important Mission. On Christmas Eve, he finds a letter that has gotten lost on its way to Father Christmas – so, with no time to lose, he sets out to deliver it himself in time for Christmas Day! He has a lot of Very Exciting Adventures on his Very Important Mission and makes some wonderful friends along the way.
Each chapter includes it’s very own festive activity for all the family to enjoy together – including writing a letter to Father Christmas, making mince pies, designing your very own Christmas cards, making presents, creating decorations, and so much more!
This beautiful hardback features a festively foiled jacket, a ribbon marker and head and tail bands, making it the perfect Christmas gift (also available in paperback from here). Read a brilliant review by Picture Book Snob HERE
There is a brilliant social Media campaign online in the run up to Christmas you can follow it by checking the hashtags #JoininwithWinston #HowWinstonDeliveredChristmas
You can find Alex T. Smith on Twitter or you can view his fantastic online portfolio HERE. For more information regarding collaborating with Alex please email info@arenaillustration.com.
Gigantosaurus The Best Day Ever with the fantastic images from the animated TV series based on the original book Giognatosaurs by Jonny Duddle Published by Templar Publishing.
Will a festive winter solstice party cure the dinosaurs of their midwinter blues? A Gigantosaurus adventure in paperback, with bonus stickers.
It’s the shortest day of the year, and Mazu, Tiny, Rocky, and Bill are feeling awfully gloomy. When the sun rises so late and sets so early, there’s barely enough daylight to do anything, let alone something fun. So when Tiny decides to cheer everyone up with an extravagant holiday party, all of the dinosaurs in Cretacea are excited—and Tiny even invites the fearsome Giganto. But a last-minute bash is tough to pull off, and pretty soon everything from the decorations to the presents has gone wrong. Can Tiny salvage it all and throw the holiday party she promised?
You can find Jonny Duddle on Instagram and Twitter and you can also view his gigantic online portfolio HERE. for more information regarding working with Jonny please email info@arenaillustration.com
Trouble on Planet Christmas written by Kate Saunders and Illustrated buy Neal Layton
There’s trouble on the planet of Yule-1 (the real home of Father Christmas!) The Trubshaw family are flown back from Earth to help out. Once again Jake and Sadie are transported to a place where elves and reindeer are their fiends and everything is about getting ready for Christmas, the best holiday of the year. Hysterically funny, wonderfully bonkers, it’s Christmas like you’ve never seen it before.
You can read a brilliant review of Trouble on Planet Christmas over on Books Up North by clicking HERE
You can find Neal Layton on Twitter and Instagram or alternatively view his wonderful online portfolio HERE. For more information about working with Neal please email infor@arenaillustrration.com.
The Twelve Days of Christmas written and illustrated by Alex T Smith, published by Macmillan
A gorgeously illustrated Christmas classic re-written and illustrated by Alex T. Smith, The Twelve Days of Christmas, or Grandma is Overly Generous, is the creator of the Claude series and How Winston Delivered Christmas.
On the first day of Christmas my Grandma sent to me . . .Grandma’s presents may start off sensible – a partridge is easy enough to take care of – but her generosity soon gets wildly out of hand . . .
The Twelve Days of Christmas: Or Grandma is Overly Generous is a witty new take on the festive classic The Twelve Days of Christmas, accompanied by beautiful full-colour illustrations, this is the perfect Christmas present for any child.
“The perfect Christmas present for kids of all ages – I hope there’s one under the tree for me!” Nina Pottell, Prima Magazine.
Let your imagination run wild and give someone the gift of escapism this Christmas. We highly recommend you visit uk.bookshop.org to show support for your local bookshop. This online platform financially supports local independent book shops. A place where authors can connect with their readers, book fans can discover new writers and where children can get hooked on the thrill of reading. uk.bookshop.org offers a huge variety of titles and carefully curated themed recommended reading lists to suit all tastes.
alex t smith how winston delivered christmas thumb
jonny duddle gigantosaurus xmas
neal layton planet christmas
