Lucy & Tom's Christmas (Picture Puffin S.)

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One of the defining British children’s author-illustrators since the war, Shirley Hughes was responsible for some of the most beloved picture books ever created. Hughes began her career illustrating other authors’ work, most notably the My Naughty Little Sister series written by Dorothy Edwards. Her naturalistic sketches teemed with life and energy and, when she started writing her own accompanying text the results were simply magical. Her first entirely solo project was Lucy and Tom’s Day in 1960, which spawned numerous books centred on the adventures of the lovable duo. It is Alfie who has become Hughes’ most enduring creation, however, starring in over ten books of heart-warming yet cheeky fun. In 1977 her seminal picture book Dogger scooped the Kate Greenaway medal for illustration, a feat Hughes repeated in 2003 with Ella’s Big Chance, a retelling of Cinderella. Hughes also wrote chapter books for younger readers and novels set during World War II for those a little older. Shirley Hughes has won the Other Award, the Eleanor Farjeon Award, and the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration twice, for Dogger in 1977 and for Ella's Big Chance in 2003. In 2007 Dogger was voted the public's favourite Greenaway winner of all time. She was Highly Commended for the Greenaway Medal for The Lion and the Unicorn in 1998. Shirley received an OBE in 1999 for services to Children's Literature, and a CBE in 2017. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was the first recipient of BookTrust's Lifetime Achievement Award. This old favourite has all the warmth and traditions of the ideal family Christmas. There's a lot of love and friendship in Shirley Hughes' beautifully observed pictures which exactly capture the way people are. You probably already know the story: it’s a rhyming one and a traditional favourite. Father Christmas Needs A Wee!

Shirley began to write and draw her own picture books when her children were young. Her first book - Lucy and Tom's Day - was published in 1960, and she followed it with, among others, Dogger, and the Alfie series. Her books include the wordless picture book Up and Up, collection of rhymes and poems Out and About, and for the very young The Nursery Collection. Father Christmas Needs a Wee! is a sweet book that little kids love. It made mine roar with laughter when they were younger and I hope they’ll like it as much this year. Clement C Moore’s ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas is a classic. My mum used to read it to us on Christmas Eve when we were kids, and I’m carrying on the tradition with my girls.Children with sensory processing needs will appreciate the moment when the excitement of Christmas overwhelms Tom so that his Grandpa, sensitive to his grandson’s needs, takes him for a calming and magical walk along the snowy streets. Sweet moments are captured throughout the holiday season as Lucy and Tom prepare for Christmas. And then the big day arrives with presents and hugs for the family that arrives. Little does he know that far away in the North Pole is a lonely dinosaur called the Christmasaurus, who also feels very different. On Christmas Eve, the two cross paths in the most unexpected way, leading them to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and build a friendship that will change them both forever. Hughes has a lovely endearing style to her drawing - I will certainly be reading and collecting many other titles from her. Shirley Hughes was born in West Kirby, near Liverpool, in 1927, and studied fashion and dress design at Liverpool Art School, before continuing her studies at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford. She started her career as a freelance illustrator in London, illustrating other writers' work, including Noel Streatfeild, Alison Uttley, Ian Seraillier and notably Dorothy Edwards's My Naughty Little Sister series.

Lucy and Tom’s Christmas is my very favourite Christmas story. I love Shirley Hughes’ illustrations, they are just perfect. The story of Belle & Boo and the Very Merry Christmas is very simple and easy to follow and the pictures are gorgeous. Not only is The Christmasaurus well-written, it also captures what it’s like to be a wheelchair user perfectly. William is an ordinary boy doing normal stuff like going to school and playing with friends. William Trundle is a 10-year-old wheelchair user who is obsessed with dinosaurs. He lives happily with his dad Bob, until one day Brenda Payne, the meanest girl in the whole school (possibly the world!) joins his class and turns William’s life upside down. For the first time ever, William feels very different from his friends and he becomes miserable.I adore the illustrations in the Mandy Sutcliffe books; they are so old fashioned and sweet. As Ava loves her bunny very much, we identify with Belle, who’s best friend is a brown bunny called Boo.