Albert and Christmas

A Joyful Story with a Bit of Natural Science Thrown In

When I heard the title of Ian Brown’s and Eoin Clarke’s latest book, “Albert and Christmas,” I was wondering how they were going to manage it. You see, “Albert the Tortoise” is based on Brown’s own living Greek tortoise – and real Greek tortoises sleep through winter. Many other animals also go to sleep in order to survive the season’s cold. And if you take a look at the 21 “Fun Facts” at the back of this latest installment, you’ll learn about hibernation, brumation and migration – all different strategies that various species employ to make it through till spring. And so, when we start the story of “Albert and Christmas,” it turns out that this is precisely Albert’s problem. He’s heard about Christmas. He dreams about it. And yet he will never be awake to see it for himself. All his wonderful garden friends try to find a way for Albert to experience Christmas regardless. And so we see hilarious visions of snails wearing scarves and ants decorating trees and spiders sledding down the summer grass. But do they succeed in making the season bright? Well, that’s up to you and to your children of course, but after reading this story, I promise you that all young readers will have learned the secret as to why so many animals disappear in winter and then, somehow, reappear the following spring. It’s not just painless learning. It’s laughter-inducing, joyous learning and a must for young animal lovers all around the world. Additionally, this Apple Books version narrated by the author, himself, really is not to be missed. You haven’t seen a Brown/Clarke pigeon, or ant commander or snooty snail until you’ve heard them speak, each with their own voice, as performed by Brown. Enjoy!