It's Christmas day in the Antarctic, and Tom the Sailor is looking for a safe, cosy place on board ship for his pet rabbit to make her nest. At last Tom settles her in the hay, where she gives birth to 17 babies. This imaginative picture book is based on the diaries by men from Captain Scott's second expedition in 1910, in search of the South Pole. The original Tom - Tom Crean - was an Irishman. He later sailed with Shackleton before returning to scttle in Ireland. Meredith Hooper's warm, observant text is beautifully complemented by Bert Kitchen's stunning, detailed paintings of shipboard life and amazing Antarctic scenery.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 1999 by Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd .

Bert Kitchen is one of the top illustrators of children's books, whose work has been exhibited in many countries. His titles have won him international acclaim: Animal Numbers won the 1988 Bologna Graphics Prize for Children, and was runner-up in the Bologna Critici in Erba prize. This was judged in part by a panel of children, confirming that his books appeal directly to children as well as to adults. He has also illustrated Meredith Hooper's Tom's Rabbit, runner-up in the English 4-11 Awards for the Best Children's Picture Books of 1998. Meredith Hooper is a well-known and successful author of non-fiction books for children.