A Winter Surprise
in A Children’s Literary Christmas: An Anthology

Jumbie the squirrel is determined to host the best woodland party his friends have ever seen but not everything goes to plan. ‘A Winter Surprise’ follows Jumbie’s journey as he learns to accept help in this wintery tale of friendship.

Read Swapna Haddow’s ‘A Winter Surprise’ alongside many other tales in A Children’s Literary Christmas: An Anthology, edited by Anna James. Immerse yourself in some truly festive magic with this brand-new collection of the finest Christmas stories, prose, songs and poetry from some of the greatest writers in the English language.

Twenty-four seasonal chapters allow the excitement to build as parents and grandparents can share pages of unforgettable adventures, festive traditions, tales of elves, snowmen and reindeer, fairytales, folklore and family fun.

Age-old pleasures from those essential Christmas favourites, including Dickens, Kenneth Grahame, George Mackay Brown, Robert L. May and Ezra Jack Keats, are presented alongside charming, but often more edgy, award-wining contemporary voices including Matt Haig, Shirley Hughes and Swapna Haddow.

This treasure trove of stories is brought to life by an equally beautiful selection of seasonal illustrations from the collections of the Library and the artwork of some of the great modern book illustrators.