Ben is a wealthy mouse who is not interested in Christmas, or the gift that Tim, a poor mouse, brings him on Christmas Eve. That night, Ben cannot sleep and a stranger appears who takes him on a quest to find three people who agree with Ben that a candied plum is the best thing in the world. By morning, Ben, like Scrooge, has learnt the true meaning of Christmas and the value of friendship and he invites Tim to celebrate Christmas with him. Toby Forward's atmospheric tale is perfectly matched by Ruth Brown's gorgeous illustrations, to make this a classic Christmas gift book.

 

There are 40 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 2006 by Andersen Press Ltd .

Ruth Brown has created a great many picture books for Andersen Press and is highly respected as an author and illustrator. She is married to artist Ken Brown and they have two grown-up sons and 1 grandson. Toby Forward lives in Beverley in North Yorkshire, and is a parish priest in Hull, although he still manages to devote time to writing. He is married to a teacher, and they have two daughters.