"What can I give Him,
Poor was I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb.
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him?
I give Him my heart."
- Christina Rossetti
Unwrapping one of my Christmas favourites...
Written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by the very gifted Jane Chapman, this book touches your heart. The illustrations are absolutely magnificent and bring you right into the story.
Love peeking into the package don't you?
Mortimer's a little mouse,
He longs so much for his own house.
He now resides inside a hole
That's dark and damp
Without a soul.
Each day he looks for crumbs and bits
And spots a little house that fits.
The house is high
He starts to climb
He reaches it in record time.
But what he finds there
Baffles him,
Little people are within.
Animals and a baby sleeps ....
No one talks, no not a peep.
The tiny baby's little bed
Is just his size and he is lead
To tug and pull
The statues out
Crawl in the bed
And without a doubt...
Mortimer has found a home!
The next few days
He starts to roam
Finds cookie crumbs and lots of snacks
But strangely finds the statues back.
He drags and shoves them, clears the house
Quite a task for a little mouse.
Then one night he hears a story
Of a little babe that came from Glory
He came to save the world from sin
But there was not a room for him.
Baby Jesus was his name
And suddenly Mortimer felt great shame.
He knew whose bed was overtaken,
He knew the baby felt forsaken,
He made his mind up then and there
To give up his dream and not despair.
Mortimer prayed and as he fled
Asked for a house and a comfy bed.
Then Mortimer spied an amazing house
One just perfect for a little mouse.
No statues or animals lived within,
All candy and sweet...made just for him.
He climbed up to it nice and steady....
And smiled because it was move-in ready!
Who created this wonderful gift?
My life is a series of lessons and moments that see me to the next lessons and moments. Some moments are sweet, some scary, some a blur gone too fast and forever missed. I write for children because all of these steps started there, in childhood, and that sense of wonder, keen curiosity, and the ability to see things much kinder and more magical than they actually were, fades as time passes and years and experience claim your naivety. For me it is a feeling only rekindled when I am creating books, stories and poetry.
My children, family and friends are a great inspiration to me, and the support of my readers is a tremendous honor. It is always my desire to entertain children and encourage them to think about and explore their world, and the worlds beyond, embrace creativity, and love learning for the duration of their life. Knowledge comes through words, so for me literacy is the foundation of education, and it bears the fruit of intelligent and empathetic citizens of this world and humanity.
The incredible illustrations were done by....
Award winning illustrator Jane Chapman graduated from university with a First Class Honors degree in illustration. Working as both Jane Chapman and under her pseudonym Jack Tickle, she has had more than 75 titles published in more than 20 countries. Jane is perhaps best known for her illustrations in Karma Wilson's 'Bear' books, an internationally bestselling series which has garnered a string of awards including the Oppenheim Platinum Book Award for 'Bear Snores On'.
Jane's favorite thing to paint? SNOW!
Jane is married to children's author / illustrator Tim Warnes. They live in the South West of England with their 2 boys.
Read on and read always!
It's a wrap!
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