The Inner Child

I collect children's books

and I have a particular weakness for the limited editions

that are published at Christmas.

Christmas - The King James Version

Illustrated by Jan Pienkowski

They allow me to reach that hidden part

that remains a child.

"The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore

Illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat

The part of me that still believes

I shall sleep in an iron bedstead on Christmas Eve

And, waking, find snow outside the window.

"Lanterns Across The Snow" by Susan Hill

Illustrated by Kathleen Lindsley

Father Christmas will leave the doll

that I have dreamed of

"The Story of Holly & Ivy" by Rumer Godden

Illustrated by Christian Birmingham

And the carved figures in the Nativity

will tell the story of Christmas

for the very first time.

"The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey" by Susan Wojciechowski
Illustrated by P. J. Lynch