Sunday, November 27, 2016

Twenty Four Days to Christmas by Fred Arthur


 TWENTY FOUR DAYS TO CHRISTMAS
by Fred Arthur
Illustrated by Paul Winward
Clink Street Publishing
Children's Holiday Fiction
72 pages

Poppy is in agony - it is the First of December and she has twenty-four days to wait until Christmas and she is convinced that she will not be able to contain her excitement and impatience: How can she possibly wait so long for Santa to arrive? Poppy's parents put their heads together and come up with a cunning plan that has Poppy completing a different, Christmas themed activity every day, to keep Her busy until Christmas (and Santa) finally arrives. Twenty-Four Days to Christmas is an Advent Calendar of a book, which can be read one day at a time, or as a complete story, and centres on Christmas, family and the magic of the Christmas season.

 Purchase from Amazon UK - here






Fred Arthur’s Top 4 Thoughts about Christmas

11)    Christmas is about family and friends

22)   Christmas is about giving to others and engaging with family, friends and other people: It is how we should be all year long!

33) Christmas is about Love; Laughter; Friendship and Generosity.
T4) There is nothing better than the look on the face of someone you love when they open your perfect present.

Christmas is about helping those that can’t help themselves



MY TIDBITS


Through a sweet story, this book offers a terrific way for parents and kids to bridge those last days before Christmas.

Poppy, a little girl with tons of spirit, can't wait for Christmas to come! And twenty-four days is such a long time. Luckily, life doesn't sit around and wait, but rather offers a small adventure every day. 

The book is broken down into short chapters, one for every day from December 1st until that wondrous day of Christmas. Each day, Poppy experiences a fun, little adventure. . .nothing too outlandish, but rather simple happenings of daily life which make the waiting so much more fun. The stories are short, sweet and with a girl as happy as Poppy, simply a treat to read/listen too.

There are two things which really made this book stand out. One are the illustrations. Each day holds a cute picture of Poppy and her adventures. But that's not all. Every couple of paragraphs, a small, Christmasy item is plopped in to keep things colorful and lively. 

The other thing which sticks out is the subtle hint at activities--not that this is a book packed with hobby or bake ideas. As Poppy jumps from one day to the next, sometimes she finds herself creating things (like with a pine cone.) These experiences are just enough to spark ideas in readers'/listeners' heads and offer great inspirations for simple and quick Christmas projects. So be prepared!

Summed up, this is a wonderful read for parents, grandparents and others to share with kids ages four and up during the last count-down to Christmas. 


And here he is. . .


Fred Arthur is the combined pen name for friends Pincher Martin and Mike Dineen who met working in the Royal Navy. Leaving school at the age of fifteen Pincher Martin entered the Royal Navy as an Able Seaman and now holds the rank of Commander. Living with his family in Plymouth but working in Portsmouth writing creative emails and text messages to his young daughter has become part of his daily life. Mike Dineen graduated from St Andrew’s University before joining the Royal Navy, and he too holds the rank of Commander. Mike lives with his wife in Pickering, North Yorkshire and works in Scotland. Both are keen sportsmen and qualified life coaches. Their goal is to become successful authors, so that when the Royal Navy finally forces them to retire, it will enable them to fulfil their shared desire to support local schools and libraries, satisfy their passion for writing and foster a belief in the importance of reading and imagination for children of all ages.
Fred Arthur on Twitter - https://twitter.com/fredarthurbooks













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