Katherine Rundell (text), Emily Sutton (illus.), One Christmas Wish, Bloomsbury, 1 Nov 2017, 64pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781408885734
One Christmas Wish is a short story about Theo, a lonely boy whose workaholic parents are seldom home. On Christmas Eve, as he sits alone, he sees an odd-looking star and decides to make a wish. He wishes to have some company – to be “un-alone”. Magically, the Christmas tree decorations come to life and so a story begins of Theo’s adventures with the mischievous Christmas decorations as he helps them to each achieve their own special wish.
This is a sweet story that has the charm of an old world, magical Christmas tale as well as a contemporary flavour. I especially love the illustrations which accompany the text. They evoke a sense of a frosty, dream-like European Christmas. Beautiful, detailed, double spread illustrations are interspersed through the story. The gorgeous dustcover illustration literally sparkles.
This is a lovely book to be enjoyed by adults and children, about 5-9 years old, at Christmas time. It has been included in The Guardian magazine’s list of “The best children’s books of 2017” and for good reason.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz
