Jo-Jo and Gran-Gran Twelve and a Half Days of Christmas Book Review

18th December 2017

Author: Laura Henry

Illustrated by: Amy Bradley

Having already met Jo-Jo and Gran-Gran in Laura Henry’s first book, I was excited to read and review her new Christmas offering.  As predicted, I was not disappointed as this new book from Laura is full of festive, family cheer.

Jo-Jo and her Gran-Gran are excitedly counting down the days till Christmas, realising that it’s just twelve and a half days until the big day.  The pair make a plan to do something exciting on each day so the book follows their adventures which many children will relate to.  Their days are taken up with letters to Father Christmas, a visit to the market, carol singing, dancing and decorating the tree.  The book encompasses the digital world with Gran-Gran making a reference to searching on her tablet for news about where Father Christmas will be so they can pay him a visit.

The illustrations by Amy Bradley are absolutely charming, offering a wonderful backdrop to the easy to read text.  This is a perfect book for sharing during the festive season, sparking ideas of how to fill the days in the build up to Christmas.  Children at my Preschool particularly loved the reference to ‘When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney’ and paused the book to sing excitedly.  The text and illustrations prompted conversations about their own preparations for Christmas, promoting communication and language development.  Children relished in the excitement of what Jo-Jo and Gran-Gran were going to do next – lots of guessing, sharing ideas and reading on to find the answer.  Soon, they were using the illustrations to tell the story for themselves.

This book is an absolute Christmas gem and one to be shared year after year.  It is sure to give a warm, fuzzy glow to adults and children alike.

Book review by Emma Davis