It's a wonderful year for children's books, with something to suit all tastes and price ranges. Books which will definitely be included on my shopping list for stocking fillers and under-the-tree presents are ones which convey the spirit of Christmas. The Little Angel by Jan Pancheri (Hutchinson, £7.99 in UK) is a fine example of this. This touching story is about an angel who visits earth on Christmas Eve and her efforts to help an old man, cold, hungry and alone with his cat. Thanks to the use of her personal star, things turn out right in the end, although not quite as she planned. Peter Collington's A Small Miracle (Red Fox £4.99, in UK) was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Now in paperback, this incredibly moving tale without any text is set on Christmas Eve, when an old woman lies in the snow, exhausted by her efforts to make money for food. But it's the time of year for miracles and help comes from the most unexpected quarter. American poet ee cummings was renowned for his use of space and type and, in Little Tree (Element, £9.99 in UK), one of his best-loved poems has been lovingly re-interpreted by illustrator Mary Clare Smith.
A good example of Nativity re-tellings is My Very First Christmas Story (Lion, £5.99 in UK), a board book for really young children with simple text by Lois Rock and colourful illustrations by Alex Ayliffe.
Another is Mary's First Christmas by Walter Wangerin Jr (Lion, £12.99 in UK) where we find Mary telling her son Jesus the story of his birth. Set over several evenings, it's unusual in that the normal events of a young boy's life are woven in between the tellings, as is Joseph's reaction to the news of Mary's pregnancy. Beautifully illustrated by Timothy Ladwig, if it hasn't already won awards it should.
One of the books about school nativity plays that proved a big hit with my younger readers was The Christmas Play by Clare Bevan (Lion, £8.99 in UK). This poem is amusingly illustrated by Julie Park, and captures the young cast's performance, which includes a king bearing bath salts, a fidgeting camel and a Herod in glasses. Kathy Weston's Our Christmas Play (OUP, £4.99 in UK) was another popular choice. Illustrated by Amelia Rosato, it tells the story of a play from hell, told through the eyes of a cast member who wants to be Mary. Just about everything that can go wrong does, but the narrator ends up happy in the star role, because of her ability to stand still and be quiet!
Finally, no Christmas selection would be complete without the inclusion of treasuries of stories and poems. Designed not only for Christmas, but to last all year round, my favourite is Once Upon a Christmas Time (Hutchinson, £12.99 in UK). Comprising some fifteen stories and poems it includes Jolly Snow by Jane Hissey, Don't Forget Me Father Christmas by Virginia Mayo, and Max Velthuijs' delightful Frog in Winter. The Macmillan Book of Christmas illustrated by Diz Wallis (Macmillan, £15 in UK) features stories and poems. Divided into sections such as Christmas Preparations, The Christmas Story and special Christmas Animals, contributors include Dylan Thomas, A.A. Milne, Kenneth Grahame, James Herriot and Roger McGough.
And last, but by no means least, is How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss (Collins, £4.99 in UK). Now reissued as part of the Classic Collection, the Grinch continues slithering down chimneys with empty bags to steal the Whos's presents, food and fuel. An entire new generation is surely waiting to discover him anew as he finally grasps the concept: "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store/Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more".