The thirtieth anniversary edition of a witty Christmas classic from one of the world's finest children's book makers.

It's Christmas Eve and there is one present left in Father Christmas's sack. It's for a small boy called Harvey Slumfenburger, who lives far, far away on top of the Roly Poly Mountain. But no journey is too far for Father Christmas! Father Christmas sets out on an adventurous trek, by plane, jeep, moped and more, to ensure Harvey gets his present in time for Christmas.

John Burningham's timeless Christmas classic is all about kindness and sharing the spirit of Christmas, as relevant today as it was when it was first published.

Creators

John Burningham (1936-2019) was widely regarded as one of the world’s finest picture book artists. With over 35 books to his name, he was twice been awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal, for Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers and Mr Gumpy’s Outing. Among his other celebrated books is Granpa, for which he was awarded the Kurt Maschler Award, and which was later made into a successful feature film. In 2018, John was awarded the BookTrust's lifetime achievement award for services to children's literature together with his wife, Helen Oxenbury.

Reviews

Gloriously funny … The pictures are among this artist’s best.

Junior Bookshelf

Amongst the highest quality picture books … this is outstanding.

Children's Books of the Year

Every year books about Christmas come and go as regularly as the season itself, and it is rare to find one so good that it has endured for 30 years but this is one of those, and this is a special 30th anniversary edition.

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Awards

National Art Library Illustration Awards
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