New in paperback. Set in Africa during the Christmas season, this is the story of a village preparing for a celebration - the birth of a child. The story is told in verse inspired by the traditional carol The Twelve Days of Christmas, but in this version by the author Catherine House the gifts are: 1 stork in a baobab tree, 2 thatched huts, 3 woven baskets, 4 market traders, 5 bright khangas, 6 women pounding, 7 children playing, 8 wooden carvings, 9 grazing goats, 10 drummers drumming, 11 dancers dancing and 12 storytellers. This is a Christmas steeped in the atmosphere of African village life, including descriptions of the objects and activities mentioned in the text.

This book has been graded for interest at 5-8 years.

There are 32 pages in this book. This book was published 2011 by Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd .

POLLY ALAKIJA is a British artist living and working in South Africa. Before that, she lived for fifteen years in Nigeria. Her paintings have been widely exhibited in Africa and Europe, and her previous books include Catch That Goat for Barefoot Books. This is her first book for Frances Lincoln. She lives in Tewkesbury, Gloscestershire. Catherine House started writing children's books when she lived in Zimbabwe with her husband and two children. With a degree in theology, she writes for Christian publishers as well as specialising in educational books for African schools. Catherine has had thirteen books published world-wide to date.