The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Tapa dura

Alison Jay works in oil paints modified with alkyd resin to make them quick-drying, and sometimes, as here, adds a false craquelure (that fine cracking that you see in old paintings.) The 'true lovers' and the other characters are dressed in Victorian mode, so the pictures have a pleasing 'antiquarian' look to them. Overall the book is suitably decorative in appearance, which couples nicely with the charm of the repetition in the much loved song itself. Each gift has its own illustration above the lyrics, with a related scene on the facing page. These are fun because there are lots of animals and people in them to look at, and there's always a tiny figure of Father Christmas somewhere in the background, so children can play a game of 'find Santa'. The song's stressed line of "five gold rings" gets its visual equivalent in a double page spread with the gold rings, baubles, and the calling birds. Clever and attractive, this book will make a great seasonal purchase. -- Philip Davies * Montessori International *

This visual feast from acclaimed illustrator Alison Jay is the perfect festive gift. On Christmas Eve, a man buys presents for the woman he loves, beginning with a partridge in a pear tree. The couple travel through town and the gifts pile up, until they get to a Christmas party so magnificent it is a little overwhelming... leading them to slip back to the quiet of home, where their partridge is waiting.