There’s a heatwave. Is it Christmas yet?

We’ll be promoting children’s titles over the months of July and August. Summer holidays are always a fun time to go to the library or bookshop and pick favourite books to read. We all have fond memories of reading on holiday, by the pool, on the beach, at the cabin, and even at summer camp. Summer is the time when we get to read the books we’ve been meaning to read and we share the books we’ve loved with friends and family. 


In August, we’ll be publishing The Shepherd Who Couldn’t Sing by Alan Barker and The Sleepy Shepherd by Stephen Cottrell, both children’s Christmas stories. Both authors have taken this well-known and beloved story and made it special for children, each in their own way. 

The Shepherd Who Couldn’t Sing is for children aged 4 to 6. It’s the story of a shepherd who is afraid to sing. He discovers his voice when he meets an angel choir. It’s an illustrated story for parents and grandparents to share with their children and grandchildren.

The Sleepy Shepherd combines the Christmas and Easter stories, making it appealing to parents and to children. When the shepherd misses the angels’ visit, he decides to become a shepherd to others who have also fallen asleep.

Some of the best children’s stories are retellings of stories that we all know and love. They have appeal all year round, and can be read in any season. Part of why we revisit these stories again and again – and we pass them down through generations – is that they never lose their wisdom or relevance.

Think it’s too early for Christmas in July? Think again. When you’ve worked in sales and retail, you know the customers who’ve finished their Christmas shopping before they do their back to school shopping. They take advantage of summer sales, promotions, and discounts, and buy their holiday gifts early. Who hasn’t spotted a gift for someone they love over the summer and saved it to give to a friend over the Christmas holiday?

Summer is when you buy the books that are on sale so that you have a stack to read at the beach, on the train to France, or by the pool in Florida. It’s the time when parents buy new books to read with their little ones.

What were your favourite books to read when you were little? Were there books that you read over and over again until you knew them by heart? Did your parents share stories with you that they loved when they were children? Which books did you always bring with you on holiday to read over the summer? 

Let us know what you’ll be reading.

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