One for the little little-ones . . . #7 The Magic Little Sleigh

Jingle, jingle! Ding-a-dong ding!
Over the ocean, sleigh bells ring.
One little penguin's on his way,
Flying along in his magical sleigh!

Join these happy friends on their snowy day out. Children will love counting the creatures as they hop on the sleigh - with chunky touch-and-feel carriages that are perfect for little hands!

This is another product of Team Caterpillar so you can expect a lovely rhyming text, funky illustrations and a great novelty element. There are four books in this particular series and this one is a Christmassy counting adventure. Lots of glitter makes this one particularly festive.

To win a copy of this lovely book I'd like you to tell me where you would travel to if you had a magical sleigh to take you there.

It's the most magical time of the year . . . #8 Winter Magic

A delightful collection of festive animal tales, with a sprinkling of magic, starring a lost wolfcub, some mischievous mice, a magic camel and a dog called wizard!

Featuring brand-new stories from celebrated authors - Michael Broad, Adele Geras, Tanya Landman, Penny Dolan, Julia Green, Holly Webb, Karen Wallace, Caroline Pitcher, Malachy Doyle and Elizabeth Baguley.

Christmas Animal Tales was received with such delight that we have since done not one, but two more Christmassy anthologies! This is number three, just to mix things up a bit. The quality has not dipped one jot. My favourite story in this one is Annie's Camel by Adele Geras. A lovely bit of Christmas magic!

To win this one I would like you to tell me what wish you would most like granted at Christmas time. My favourite gets a copy of the book.

Christmas is a time for family . . . #9 Christmas with You

Bows and ribbons shimmer bright,
sweet surprises wrapped with care.
Whispers in the firelight,
Christmas joy for us to share.

With stunning illustrations, this lyrical, joyful book is a wonderful celebration of all that is special about Christmas.

For me, the best thing about Christmas is spending time with my loved ones. Of course this has always been the case, but since leaving home and moving up to The Big Smoke, this time is even more special. I get two weeks back in Swansea to spend with my lovely family and friends. This book celebrates all the fantastic things you can do together at Christmas, from decorating the Christmas tree (my favourite thing) to singing carols. This really is a wonderful book to share together at Christmas.

I'm sure you can all guess what the question to win this book will be . . . Tell me your favourite thing to share/do with the special people in your life at Christmas. As it's my competition, I get to pick my favourite!

A pet is NOT just for Christmas . . . #10 Christmas Animal Tales

A magical treasury of festive animal tales, starring a little donkey, a naughty kitten, a special reindeer and even a talking turkey. Featuring brand new stories from celebrated authors Adele Geras, Michael Broad, Vivian French, Maeve Friel, Anna Wilson, Penny Dolan, Holly Webb and Alan Durant.

If there is one area in which Stripes is unrivalled, it's in cute animal stories. The prolific mistress of the Adorable Animal in Peril genre, Holly Webb, is our biggest selling author, selling in excess of half a million copies! It was only natural, then, that we produce a Christmas books playing to our strengths, and so Christmas Animal Tales was born. With contributions from the creme de la creme writing for young readers, including the lovely Holly, this is an utterly charming collection. My personal favourite is Talking Turkey by Alan Durant - I was a bit of an animal activist as a child!

To win this lovely book, I want you to tell me what name you would give to an adorable little puppy which was left on your doorstep on Christmas Eve. My favourite gets a copy of the book.

Getting Crafty for Christmas . . . #11 Christmas Stencils

Draw snowmen, flying reindeer, snowflakes, presents and much more using the stencils on each page and design your own snowy scenes, cards and wrapping paper. Then use the big press-out pieces as sparkling decorations - perfect for hanging on your tree.

This is a Caterpillar book. The Caterpillars are an incredibly creative bunch who design and produce all sorts of novelty books for quite small people. They come up with the most innovative ideas which sound wonderful, but none of us believe can actually be realised. Lo and behold, every time they manage to design the product so that it is actually feasible and our awesome production team find some clever printers who can make it a reality.

Christmas Stencils is one such example. It does so many things, it doesn't quite do it justice to simply call it a book. It is a board books with really cute illustrations and a lovely rhyming text, but it doesn't stop there. It has press out pieces, which you can use as stencils and the bits you press out have nifty little holes so that you can string a bit of ribbon through them and use them as Christmas decorations. Lovely.

There are five Christmas decorations in the book. One is given away on the cover - a snowman. A copy of the book to the first person to guess one of the other items.

The Countdown Begins . . . #12 The Magical Snowman

Little Rabit has made a wonderful snowman. He doesn't want to leave him! "He is just a snowman," says Daddy. "He isn't real." But when Little Rabbit gets lost in the snow, a soft light sparkles through the trees and a very special friend appears to take him on a magical journey home . . .

This book obviously has echoes of the Raymond Briggs classic, The Snowman. It's a really sweet story, probably more suitable for a younger age group, perfect to snuggle up with as a wintry bedtime story. I love Alison Edgson's illustrations because her animals are so gorgeously soft and fluffy you could be forgiven for attempting to reach out and stroke them. You can't really tell from the picture, but the snowman is glittery on every page, and a bit of glitter is always rather nice at Christmas!

So, to get your hands on a copy, please comment below telling me what you would most like to build out of snow and find come to life. I will pick my favourite. Keep it clean, please, it's a kids' book!

The Twelve Days Until Christmas Commences!

That's right people, as of tomorrow I will have just twelve days left in the office before I head back to the wet, lovely land of song I call home. And as Christmas is a time of giving, I have decided to give my dear readers a Christmas treat.

I spend a fair amount of time worrying that no one is actually reading my ramblings, but then my good friend Simon over at Big Green Books pointed out that I could put a counter up and find out the truth, and it turns out a fair few people have actually stopped by, although whether by accident or not, I can't be sure. Anyhoo, I will be rewarding the people who are interested in what I have to say with some lovely books from Little Tiger, Stripes and Caterpillar.

Each working day for the next twelve days I will be posting a little bit about one of our lovely Christmassy books, along with a competition question. At 5pm each day I will select a winner at random who will get a copy of the book. Pretty simple really.

See you back here on the morrow for book one! Which of this lovely lot will it be??