Brilliant festive picture books to create the perfect Christmas!

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The Christmas Eve Ghost by Shirley Hughes (Walker, £12.99)

This charming tale by award-winning author Shirley Hughes paints a very colourful picture of childhood in Thirties’ Liverpool, based on Hughes’s own evocative memories. For a widowed single mother of two, it’s a world of hardship and arduous chores as Mam has to leave her children alone (imagine!) to go to work. Left to their own devices, Bronwen and Dylan play happily until they hear an eerie “Plonk! Plonk! Plonk!” What could it be? Thankfully, there are friendly neighbours on hand to calm their nerves as they discover a funny explanation for the ghostly goings-on. A delightful tale with Hughes’s distinctive illustrations.

Buy The Christmas Eve Ghost

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