Christmas Challenge Dec 3

​My reading choice today resonates even more poignantly in the light of yesterday's Syria decision - The Best Christmas Present in the World by Michael Morpurgo with illustrations from Michael Coleman. This slim volume tells the story of the Christmas truce of 1914 when both sides laid down their arms and celebrated Christmas Day together, realising that they were not so different after all. The spare, almost lyrical prose brought a tear to my eye by the the time I got to the bittersweet ending. The misty, watercolour images illustrate the text perfectly and are well worth lingering over. A small book that packs a big emotional punch.