Christmas stories

Curl up by the fireside with an enchanting collection of Christmas stories from Britain's best-loved children's author, Michael Morpurgo.

Lose yourself in faraway lands and unexpected adventures with five festive tales from the man who gave us War Horse. The Best Christmas Present in the WorldA mysterious letter in a secret drawer brings one night in the Great War vividly to life.

Writing home from the front, a soldier has an incredible story to tell. The Best of TimesWhen the Prince and Princess marry, joy rings out across the land.

But all too soon it fades away and a shadow hangs over the royal palace.

As Christmas approaches, Prince Frederico must find a way to warm his new bride's aching heart. The Goose is Getting FatGertrude the goose is getting bigger by the day, and Charlie is proud to look after her.

But as Christmas approaches, the thought of the grizzly fate awaiting her fills him with sadness.

Can he save Gertrude from the Christmas dinner table?On Angel WingsOne cold Christmas night, a shepherd recounts the magical story of how he came to be the first visitor to the newborn Christ child - ahead of the other shepherds, and in complete secret. Mimi and the Mountain DragonIn her castle lair high in the mountains of Switzerland, lives a terrible dragon.

In the village below, lives a little girl called Mimi.

When she finds a baby dragon in the woodshed, she makes a brave decision that will bring joy and peace to the village for ever. In this stunning collection, the former Children's Laureate demonstrates why he is considered to be the master story teller.

Each individual Christmas story also features beautiful illustrations from the biggest names in children's books - from Roald Dah's illustrator Quentin Blake to Michael Foreman and Emma Chichester Clark to Sophie Allsopp and Helen Stephens. The perfect Christmas storytime experience for children aged 4 and up.

A real thing of beauty. Look out for some of Michael's other great books: Little Foxes, Why the Whales Came, Friend or Foe, Mr Nobody's Eyes. Michael Morpurgo is the master storyteller of Kensuke's Kingdom, An Eagle in the Snow, Listen to the Moon, Shadow, and An Elephant in the Garden.

Michael Morpurgo has written more than a hundred books and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times.