This is a delightful tale of two characters, Tortoise and Hedgehog who are experiencing their first Christmas and who do not know what Christmas is. Many children will be familiar with the characters from the story ‘The Hug’ and other stories in this series and will welcome their familiarness. Exploring what Christmas is all about will resonate with younger children – the excitement of presents, food and decorations all feature.

There is opportunity for some more in-depth discussion with children about each of the aspects of Christmas shared by the other animals in the story – for example, Fox’s focus on presents that are all for him and the story climax of the importance of being with those we love.

The illustrations invite children to look closely at each page – particularly to pick out the little white mouse, who has his own particular excitement and engagement with the trappings of Christmas. Children will enjoy retelling the story from the pictures, developing the detail of the story that is not in the main text but found in the illustrations. This is a super addition to any early years class collection, a lovely book to read aloud at school or at home.