Little Red's Christmas Story

Little Red

by Sarah Ferguson, Sam Williams (Illustrator)

On Christmas Eve at Buttercup Cottage, Santa arrives with a sick reindeer and loads of presents still to deliver, so Little Red and her friends have to find a way to help.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2004

About the author

Sarah Ferguson, former Duchess of York, is a British writer, charity patron, public speaker, film producer and television personality. She is the former wife of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, former Duke of York. Sarah has two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York.

Reviews

[One Code 431 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't celebrate Christmas but I do love Christmas books because they are so fun to read and I love being part of the story.

[Jack Kirby and the X-man · Rating 1 out of 5]

I saw this at the library and thought it might be worth a look, attracted by the celebrity name...

Well the story is nothing to write home about - the tired, stereotypical 'protogonist saves Christmas' plot line.

The characters are not introduced in any sensible way. The starting paragraph leads with "Little Red and her friends", on page 5 you learn there are 4, and you don't learn all their names until page 7 - and you only know Gino is the dog by a process of elimination. I think there is a strong assumption that you have previously read Little Red, in which case the story might make a little more sense.

The twist on the 'protagonist saves Christmas' is that Little Red heads off with Santa, and we are left behind with Little Blue. Little Blue doesn't exactly have an exciting story - he retrieved a dropped Bear, and decorated the Christmas tree - the edge of my seat is a long way away...

The illustrations remind me of Beatrix Potter. I think mainly because of the use of small illustrations above a block of text, which hasn't been in common use in picture books since the 1960s. The illustrations themselves are pretty cute - but really don't make up for a terrible plot.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing is great story is not easy to do so I always wonder why all the celebrities think they can do it. Little Red's Christmas Story is way too sweet, so sweet that by several pages into it reading the book because a huge task to complete. The illustrations are cute too, too cute... There are a lot of great holiday books out there so I recommend you skip this one.

[Little John · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I loved it, but it was a little bit terrible. The part about bear falling off the sled was a little sad. My favourite part was the Christmas party at the end. I liked the beginning when they stopped to visit and give their friends presents. The story was very happy."

Mom adds: this book was Day One of our Advent Reading Calendar 2015.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story by the Duchess of York. A little syrupy sweet, but gives a little taste of British culture, treacle tarts and all. We own this book, so we read it once or twice every Christmas season. It's become a tradition and our girls love it.

[Relyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really! It is a wonder some books ever get published - celebrity author or not. Oh my - pure drivel! Recycled story, WAY too much use of onomatopoeia, dull characters, stupid names... I could go on and on. YEESH!

[Nicole Wrightson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute story that is perfect for Christmas. No little Red isn't the one you think of right away. Read as Little Red and Little Blue goes about their Christmas and have some surprises along the way.

[Janderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

To sum it up: this story is far too long and too confusing for an adult and leaves children wondering what the story is actually about.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will say the illustrations are adorable, but the story is unoriginal and gag worthy. I was expecting something much cuter and about Little Red Riding Hood.