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Children's reading lists

Where to start with Raymond Briggs’s books

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Crafts & activities

How to make a Christmas Eve box

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Bake Snowman biscuits with Biscuiteers

A selection of classic children's picture books on a bright yellow background

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The best classic children’s picture books

Make a festive Snowman and the Snowdog garland 

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Make a festive Snowman and the Snowdog garland

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Features

Michael Morpurgo retells The Snowman: ‘I’ve told it my way, and I’ve loved doing it’

The Snowman: The Book of the Classic Film

One winter's night, a snowman comes to life and an unforgettable adventure begins. Raymond Briggs' favourite classic is a true piece of Christmas magic. This timeless story captures the wonder and innocence of childhood and is now recognised throughout the world.

Based on the much-loved film, fly away on a magical journey to the enchanting land of the Snowman! 
 
After the snow settles on a cold winter's day, a little boy builds a Snowman. Later that night, under the glittering stars, the Snowman comes to life! 
 
Together they fly through the night sky on a breathtaking and magical journey, until the sun comes up and it's time to go home... 
 
This edition of the classic tale from Raymond Briggs features stunningly rendered new artwork based on the 1982 film, alongside beautifully written story narration. 
 
The Snowman is the perfect festive read for ALL the family! 
 
Also available for 0-6yrs: 
The Snowman - the classic wordless picture book by Raymond Briggs 
The Snowman and the Snowdog - a picture book based on the classic film sequel 
 
Also available for readers 7+: 
A magical retelling of The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo

Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934. He was the author of the hugely successful children's books Father Christmas and The Snowman. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, stage shows and animations. His other books include Fungus the Bogeyman, The Bear, Ug, When the Wind Blows, Ethel &amp; Ernest, a biography of his parents, and his latest, Time for Lights Out, a contemplation on old age, told through words and pictures.

The Snowman and the Snowdog

The Snowman flies again . . . In the middle of winter, a little boy's Snowman and Snowdog come to life and take him on a breathtaking and magical adventure.

Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934. He was the author of the hugely successful children's books Father Christmas and The Snowman. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, stage shows and animations. His other books include Fungus the Bogeyman, The Bear, Ug, When the Wind Blows, Ethel & Ernest, a biography of his parents, and his latest, Time for Lights Out, a contemplation on old age, told through words and pictures.

Time For Lights Out

A new book about old age by the much-loved author of The Snowman and Ethel & Ernest

In his customary pose as the grumpiest of grumpy old men, Raymond Briggs contemplates old age and death... and doesn't like them much. 
 
'A beloved genius of storytelling and illustration' Observer 
 
Illustrated with Briggs's inimitable pencil drawings, Time for Lights Out is a collection of short pieces, some funny, some melancholy, some remembering his wife who died young, others about the joy of grandchildren, of walking the dog... He looks back at his schooldays and his time as an evacuee during the war, and remembers his parents and the house in which he grew up. But most, like this one, are about his home in Sussex: 
 
Looking round this house, 
What will they say, 
The future ghosts? 
 
There must have been 
Some barmy old bloke here, 
Long-haired, artsy-fartsy type, 
Did pictures for kiddy books 
Or some such tripe. 
 
You should have seen the stuff 
He stuck up in that attic! 
Snowman this and snowman that, 
Tons and tons of tat.

A mesmerising jumble of jokes, drawings and elderly gripes… All human life – and death – is here in this lucky dip of memories and fears, irritations and idle thoughts… [Time For Lights Out] has black humour galore…and, as always, Briggs’s drawings have a touch of magic about them, conjuring human beings and their foibles out of a few precious lines.

[Time for Lights Out is] direct and personal…on the tragi-comedy of growing old. [Briggs] looks on ageing with a beady but sympathetic eye…and mordant humour all the way through… there are plenty of excellent jokes in this book.

Many congratulations to The Oldie's Raymond Briggs on his elegiac new book, Time for Lights Out. The great author and illustrator takes a funny, sombre, bittersweet approach to old age, with fond thoughts of his grandchildren, parents, childhood and his partner Liz. The book is illustrated with his characteristic understanding of real life... Bliss.

A beloved genius of storytelling and illustration.

Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934. He is the author of the hugely successful children's books Father Christmas and The Snowman. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and TV cartoons. His other books include Fungus the Bogeyman, Ug, When the Wind Blows, Ethel & Ernest, a biography of his parents, and his latest, Time for Lights Out, a contemplation on old age, told through words and pictures.

In his customary pose as the grumpiest of grumpy old men, Raymond Briggs contemplates old age and death… and doesn’t like them much. 
 
Illustrated with Briggs’s inimitable pencil drawings, Time for Lights Out is a collection of short pieces, some funny, some melancholy, some remembering his wife who died young, others about the joy of grandchildren, of walking the dog… He looks back at his schooldays and his time as an evacuee during the war, and remembers his parents and the house in which he grew up. But most, like this one, are about his home in Sussex: 
 
Looking round this house, 
What will they say, 
The future ghosts? 
 
There must have been 
Some barmy old bloke here, 
Long-haired, artsy-fartsy type, 
Did pictures for kiddy books 
Or some such tripe. 
 
You should have seen the stuff 
He stuck up in that attic! 
Snowman this and snowman that, 
Tons and tons of tat.

The Snowman Pop-Up

One winter's night, a snowman comes to life and a magical adventure begins . . . This special edition includes a magical pop-up scene, with a story based on the beloved picture book by Raymond Briggs. 
 
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Raymond Briggs's classic story, The Snowman. This brand-new edition features a magical pop-up scene, and artwork from the much-loved animated film. 
 
With a story inspired by Raymond Briggs' classic picture book, this is a wintery gift edition sparkling with festive magic. 
 
The Snowman is the perfect festive read for ALL the family! 
 
Also available for 0-6yrs: 
The Snowman - the classic wordless picture book by Raymond Briggs 
The Snowman: Book of the Film - a picture book based on the classic film 
The Snowman and the Snowdog - a picture book based on the classic film sequel 
 
Also available for readers 7+: 
A magical retelling of The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo

The Snowman

Spend Christmas with everyone's favourite Snowman! 
 
One winter's night, a snowman comes to life and an unforgettable adventure begins. 
 
Raymond Briggs' classic is a true piece of Christmas magic - narrated entirely through pictures, it captures the wonder and innocence of childhood and is recognised throughout the world. 
 
The Snowman is the perfect festive read for ALL the family! 
 
Also available for 0-6yrs: 
The Snowman: Book of the Film - a picture book based on the classic film 
The Snowman and the Snowdog - a picture book based on the classic film sequel 
 
Also available for readers 7+: 
A magical retelling of The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo

Spend Christmas with everyone's favourite Snowman! This special edition comes with an introduction by Raymond Briggs. 
 
One winter's night, a snowman comes to life and an unforgettable adventure begins. 
 
Raymond Briggs' classic is a true piece of Christmas magic - narrated entirely through pictures, it captures the wonder and innocence of childhood and is recognised throughout the world. 
 
This story is also available as a board book for little hands. 
 
The Snowman is the perfect festive read for ALL the family! 
 
Also available for 0-6yrs: 
The Snowman: Book of the Film - a picture book based on the classic film 
The Snowman and the Snowdog - a picture book based on the classic film sequel 
 
Also available for readers 7+: 
A magical retelling of The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo

The Bear

A classic tale about the magic of friendship from Raymond Briggs

One night a great big, white polar comes to stay with Tilly. The bear's got black hooked claws and huge yellow teeth; but his white furry coat is warm and soft and Tilly decides he's the cuddliest thing in the whole world. Tilly soon finds out that a big bear can cause big problems - he takes a LOT of looking after! But when she describes the bear's latest antics to her parents they think he's a figment of her imagination - but is he? 
 
From the creator of The Snowman, Father Christmas and Fungus the Bogeyman - now a live theatre show!

UG: Boy Genius of the Stone Age and His Search for Soft Trousers

Ug and his parents live in the Stone Age. And that means stone blankets, stone cold food, an even colder cave and, worst of all, hard stone trousers! Being an inquisitive and intelligent child, Ug suggests a series of modifications to improve the quality of family life. His ideas about heating, cooking, boats, and balls that actually bounce are initially met with a hostile reaction. But with the help of his father, who slowly comes round to his son's way of thinking, Ug comes tantalisingly close to his ultimate garment goal . . .

Raymond Briggs (Author, Illustrator) Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934. He was the author of the hugely successful children's books Father Christmas and The Snowman. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, stage shows and animations. His other books include Fungus the Bogeyman, The Bear, Ug, When the Wind Blows, Ethel &amp; Ernest, a biography of his parents, and his latest, Time for Lights Out, a contemplation on old age, told through words and pictures.

Ethel & Ernest

Raymond Brigg`s most extraordinary and most appealing book yet - a tender, moving, warmly funny tribute to his parents: Ethel and Ernest - now a major animated film starring Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn and Luke Treadaway

Briggs has always had the ability to move his readers, but never more powerfully than this.

As our memory of pre-Niketown Britain fades, we should be grateful that Raymond Briggs is so brilliantly equipped to remind us of what we used to be, and why.

Ethel &amp; Ernest imparts, as the best novels do, the sense of lived lives. It’s not too much to say you come to love these people... Briggs’ book earns our tears. Ethel &amp; Ernest is a just about perfect miniature: small in scale, not in spirit.

Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934. He is the author of the hugely successful children's books Father Christmas and The Snowman. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and TV cartoons. His other books include Fungus the Bogeyman, Ug, When the Wind Blows, Ethel &amp; Ernest, a biography of his parents, and his latest, Time for Lights Out, a contemplation on old age, told through words and pictures.

A marvellous, life-enhancing book for all ages, now a major animated film starring Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn and Luke Treadaway 
 
Utterly original, deeply moving and very funny, Ethel &amp; Ernest tells the story of Raymond Briggs' parents' marriage, lady's maid Ethel and milkman Ernest, from their first chance encounter in 1928, through the birth of their son Raymond in 1934, to their deaths, within months of each other, in 1971. 
 
Told in Brigg`s unique strip-cartoon format, Ethel and Ernest live through the defining moments of the twentieth century: the darkness of the Great Depression, the build up to World War II, the trials of the war years, the euphoria of VE Day and the emergence of a generation from post war austerity to the cultural enlightenment of the 1960s. 
 
Ethel &amp; Ernest is a heartfelt and affectionate tribute to an ordinary couple and an extraordinary generation.

The Elephant and the Bad Baby

Follow along with the adventures of a giant elephant and a mischievous baby in this timeless picture-book story. 
 
When an Elephant meets a Bad Baby and offers them a ride, it's the start of a wild adventure - going 'rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta' down the road, and helping themselves to ice creams, lollipops, and all manner of sweet treats. 
 
But as a long line of disgruntled shopkeepers and salespeople begin to follow them, Bad Baby learns the importance of saying 'please,' and all the trouble you can get into if you forget . . . 
 
Elfrida Vipont worked as a teacher, singer and writer. She wrote over 30 books and won the Carnegie Medal in 1950 for Lark on the Wing. Raymond Briggs has produced wonderful children's books including the classic titles The Snowman, Father Christmas and When the Wind Blows - all made into immensely successful films. 
 
More classic titles from Raymond Briggs: 
The Snowman - a wordless picture book 
Father Christmas 
Father Christmas Goes on Holiday 
The Bear 
Jim and the Beanstalk

Raymond Briggs (Author, Illustrator) 
Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934. He was the author of the hugely successful children's books Father Christmas and The Snowman. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, stage shows and animations. His other books include Fungus the Bogeyman, The Bear, Ug, When the Wind Blows, Ethel & Ernest, a biography of his parents, and his latest, Time for Lights Out, a contemplation on old age, told through words and pictures. 
 
Elfrida Vipont (Author) 
Elfrida Vipont worked as a teacher, singer and writer. She wrote over 30 books and won the Carnegie Medal in 1950 for Lark on the Wing.

Join a playful elephant and mischievous baby in this timeless story of friendship and adventure. 
 
An Elephant meets a Bad Baby. 
 
And so begins a wild adventure - going 'rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta' down the road, and helping themselves to ice creams, lollipops, and all manner of sweet treats. 
 
But as a long line of disgruntled shopkeepers and salespeople begin to follow them, Bad Baby learns the importance of saying 'please,' and all the trouble you can get into if you forget! 
 
Packed with delightful illustrations and repetitive text, The Elephant and the Bad Baby is the perfect bedtime story for toddlers. 
 
More classic titles from Raymond Briggs: 
The Snowman - a wordless picture book 
Father Christmas 
Father Christmas Goes on Holiday 
The Bear 
Jim and the Beanstalk

A brand-new edition of the Christmas classic TheSnowman, featuring new artwork and text and based on the original animatedfilm. 
 
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Raymond Briggs's classic story, The Snowman. This brand-new edition of the timelesstale features artwork from the original and beloved animated film in better, sharper, quality than ever before, and freshly written text. 
 
Accompanying audio features narration by Matthew Macfadyen.

A brand-new edition of the Christmas classic TheSnowman, featuring new artwork and text and based on the original animatedfilm. 
 
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Raymond Briggs's classic story, The Snowman. This brand-new edition of the timelesstale features artwork from the original and beloved animated film in better, sharper, quality than ever before, and freshly written text. 
 
Accompanying audio features narration by Matthew Macfadyen.

Father Christmas Goes on Holiday

It's time for a bloomin' holiday in this hilarious sequel to the beloved festive classic, Father Christmas. 
 
In this brilliant funny sequel from Raymond Briggs, author of The Snowman, a still rather grumpy Father Christmas decides to go on holiday. Of course, no-one needs a holiday more than Father Christmas . . . but where can such a well-known and easily recognized person go? 
 
As Father Christmas sets off in search of his ideal holiday spot. he travels to France, Scotland and Las Vegas - but as he soon discovers, there's really nowhere like home. 
 
More brilliant Raymond Briggs stories: 
Father Christmas 
The Snowman - a wordless picture book

The Father Christmas it's a Bloomin' Terrible Joke Book

From Raymond Briggs, author of The Snowman and inspiration for The Snowman and Snowdog, comes this collection of bloomin' brilliant Christmas jokes. The book also features some of Father Christmas' musings on what it's like to be him - for better or for worse - year in, year out. The perfect stocking filler gift, full of Christmas crackers to keep children laughing.

Lovable rogue Father Christmas presents the reader with a collection of bloomin' brilliant Christmas jokes. The book also features some of his musings on what it's like to be Father Christmas - for better or for worse - year in, year out. The perfect stocking filler gift, full of Christmas crackers to keep children laughing.

The Tin-Pot Foreign General And the Old Iron Woman

BANG! BANG! BANG! went the guns of the Tin-Pot Foreign General 
 
BANG! BANG! BANG! went the guns of the Old Iron Woman 
 
Raymond Briggs's visceral take on the Falklands War is uncompromising in its dark and moving satire of the build-up and aftermath of the conflict. This controversial book's infamous stars - General Leopoldo Galtieri and Margaret Thatcher - are depicted as robotic caricatures with a pointless blood lust. 
 
Now available as an eBook for the first time.

Fungus the Bogeyman

Experience a day in the life of a Bogeyman in this brilliantly gross picture book for older children. 
 
Life under ground in Bogeydom is full of snot, smells, slime, scum and other unspeakable things. The Bogeymen that live there revel in every kind of nastiness imaginable - especially their day-job of scaring human beings. But there's one Bogeyman who isn't so sure he wants to be part of Bogeydom after all . . . 
 
Beloved classic author Raymond Briggs has created a whole new world in this sophisticated cartoon-strip picture book for older children which will entice the most reluctant of readers into books. 
 
More classic stories from Raymond Briggs: 
The Snowman - a wordless picture book 
Father Christmas 
Father Christmas Goes on Holiday 
UG: Boy Genius of the Stone Age 
Jim and the Beanstalk

Experience a day in the life of a Bogeyman in this brilliantly gross picture book for older children. 
 
Life underground in Bogeydom is full of snot, smells, slime, scum, and other unspeakable things. The Bogeymen that live there revel in every kind of nastiness imaginable - especially their day-job of scaring human beings. But there's one Bogeyman who isn't so sure he wants to be part of Bogeydom after all . . . 
 
Beloved classic author Raymond Briggs has created a whole new world in this sophisticated comic strip picture book for older children that will entice the most reluctant of readers. 
 
More classic stories from Raymond Briggs: 
The Snowman - a wordless picture book 
Father Christmas 
Father Christmas Goes on Holiday 
UG: Boy Genius of the Stone Age 
Jim and the Beanstalk

Gentleman Jim

First published in 1980, two years after The Snowman, Gentleman Jim has been unavailable for many years. We are delighted to bring it back into print as the first book in an occasional series, Cape Graphic Classics. 
 
Gentleman Jim is the story of Jim Bloggs, a lavatory attendant who, dissatisfied with his station in life, devotes his time to envisioning a world beyond it. His walls are lined with books like Out in the Silver West, the Boys' Book of Pirates and Executive Opportunities, which provide fodder for his ruminations on career change. Encouraged by his wife, Hilda, also eager to incorporate more adventure into her life, Jim sets out to bring these dreams to fruition by accumulating various accoutrements, only to discover that the life of an executive, an artist or a cowboy is more complicated and costly than it appears.

The Puddleman

The incredibly touching story of the relationship between a young boy and his grandfather.

The tender and surprising story is enriched by the scenery of Sussex lanes in summer . . . Briggs places magic in the context of the everyday and moves us

Puts sentiment, science and imagination comfortably side by side

A lovely blending of realism with a child's imagination and a magical world

Briggs is on top form once more with this strange and moving story

A tale of childhood joy and innocence, this has the hallmark of a Brigg's classic, where, for a moment, reality is suspended and imagination takes over

Tom refers to his grandfather as 'Collar' because he drags him around on a lead. One day, Tom decides that he will take Collar on a walk to see the puddles he has named after the members of the family, but the puddles are not there. Collar insists that this is because it hasn't rained, but Tom believes that it's just because they haven't been put in yet. He wanders off, leaving Collar talking to Mrs Whitebobblehat, and comes across just the person he needs . . . Finally, puddles restored to their full, family-resembling glory, Tom and Collar go home for tea.

Jim and the Beanstalk

Early one morning, Jim woke up and saw a massive plant growing outside his window . . . 
 
In this re-telling of the classic children's story by author of The Snowman Raymond Briggs, a little boy called Jim finds a beanstalk outside his window one morning. Like his predecessor Jack, he decides to climb it - and at the top, he finds a huge castle and a rather grumpy giant. But this giant isn't at all what Jim expected . . . 
 
This funny and yet heartwarming story showcases the importance of friendship, problem-solving, and above all - kindness. 
 
More classic stories from Raymond Briggs: 
The Snowman - the wordless picture book 
Father Christmas 
UG: Boy Genius of the Stone Age 
The Elephant and the Bad Baby

A wonderful re-telling of a classic children's tale from author of The Snowman, Raymond Briggs. 
 
Early one morning, Jim woke up and saw a massive plant growing outside his window. And he began to climb. 
 
In this re-telling of the classic children's story by bestselling author, Raymond Briggs, a little boy called Jim finds a beanstalk outside his window. Like Jack, he decides to climb it - and at the top, he finds a huge castle and a rather grumpy giant. 
 
But this giant isn't at all what Jim expected. 
 
This read-aloud or read-alone story is packed with engaging illustrations and simple text, ideal for younger readers, and told with Raymond Briggs' classic humour. 
 
This funny and yet heartwarming story showcases the importance of friendship, problem-solving, and above all - kindness. 
 
More classic stories from Raymond Briggs: 
The Snowman - the wordless picture book 
Father Christmas 
UG: Boy Genius of the Stone Age 
The Elephant and the Bad Baby

The bestselling graphic novel for adults from the creator of The Snowman

When the Wind Blows

Raymond Briggs' world-famous graphic account of one ordinary couple's attempt to stand firm in the face of nuclear annihilation remains as powerful today as it was when it was first published in 1982. 
 
Following Jim and Hilda Blogg in the days before and after a nuclear attack on Britain, When the Wind Blows is alternately funny, shocking, heartbreaking and devastating. Few can read it and not be deeply moved. 
 
Despite writing some of the most beloved and enduring children's books of all time - The Snowman, Father Christmas and Fungus the Bogeyman - When the Wind Blows is very much a story for adults. Not only does it articulate the fears of the generations who grew up in the shadow of the Cold War, but it also speaks today of our own fears, living as we do in a nuclear age. 
 
Written and illustrated by Briggs, When the Wind Blows has never been out of print.

Raymond Briggs' now famous bestselling comic cartoon book depicts the effects of a nuclear attack on an elderly couple in his usual humorous yet macabre way.

The Mother Goose Treasury

Celebrate 60 years of the creator of The Snowman, Raymond Briggs’s, ultimate nursery rhyme collection, The Mother Goose Treasury with this beautiful foiled edition. 
 From well-known favourites to hidden gems, this collection of over 200 nursery rhymes has something for every child. 
 This revised edition of a famous classic first won the Kate Greenaway in 1966 and continues to delight and surprise new generations of young readers. 
More classic stories from Raymond Briggs: 
The Snowman - a wordless picture book 
Father Christmas 
Father Christmas Goes on Holiday 
The Bear 
Jim and the Beanstalk 
The Elephant and the Bad Baby

Raymond Briggs

Join Father Christmas on his busiest night of the year in this 50th anniversary edition of the hilariously irreverent Christmas classic! 
 
Raymond Briggs, creator of The Snowman, introduces us to a rather grumpy Father Christmas in this brilliantly tongue-in-cheek festive tale. 
 
Father Christmas has awoken from a dream of summer sun to discover it is December 24th, Christmas Eve - the start of his longest night's work of the year! Much merriment ensues as Father Christmas travels the world, with a few issues along the way, to bring joy to children everywhere. 
 
Published 50 years ago, this delightful - and delightfully cheeky - classic story has lost none of its charm. This book was awarded The Library Association's Kate Greenaway Medal. 
 
More brilliant Raymond Briggs stories: 
Father Christmas Goes on Holiday 
The Snowman - a wordless picture book

Father Christmas

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Michael Morpurgo retells The Snowman: ‘I’ve told it my way, and I’ve loved doing it’

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