The Best Christmas Present in the World

by Michael Morpurgo

Echoes of Christmas 1914 in the trenches call to the present day when a letter found by chance in an antique desk brings one soldier's experience hauntingly to life. Heart-warming and spine-tingling, this is a perfect story to curl up with on a winter's night.

Genres: Christmas, War, Picture Books, Historical, Childrens, History, Holiday

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read about a letter discovered in an old desk. The new owner finds that this was a letter written from the trenches of WWI on Christmas day when the fighting stopped, they exchanged food and drink and played football. A sad read made even more sad by the letter being returned to an elderly woman in a home for the elderly who believed the person who found the letter go be her long lost husband. I found the illustrations too cute and pink coloured to match the sombre tone of the book.

[Fern A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a profound effect on me as a child. A teacher read it aloud to my class when I was in early primary school at the end of one day and it gave me goosebumps and a love of writing desks (I ended up saving to buy one as a teenager and spending hours looking for secret drawers as a result of this book). Unfortunately I didn’t know the title of the story but have been very keen to reread it as an adult as it had such a lasting impression. A few months ago I came across it mentioned in an article and knew it was the same story, fast forward to this week and I tracked down a second hand version and settled down to read it again this evening. It had the same effect on me now as it did when I was 8- goosebumps! It’s such a beautifully told story of human spirit and the illustrations are fantastic.

[Sneh Pradhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A heart rending short story , but carved on a familiar idea .

[Lucy Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books written by Michael Morpurgo. The story is about the Christmas truce in World War One, where both sides stopped fighting and joined together for a football game. It allows the reader to see further into the reality of the war - where each soldier is not a pawn in war, but a son, or a father, or a brother. The illustrations are beautiful and it is a wonderful storybook to use particularly at Christmas time but also when studying World War One.

[Frankie Lulham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short story

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's almost time to create a new shelf of books. The category would have to be 'Picture Books that pretend to be written for kids but are really for nostalgic adults to give to kids because they think they'd be good for them.'

Not that these are ever bad books. They're usually exquisite. Soft, fine drawings; gently engaging text. But they seem misplaced somehow.

The Best Christmas Present in the World is one of these books. It's about a man who finds a letter in a roll-top desk he buys to do up. The letter is dated from 1914 and tells in conversational detail the stoy of the Christmas Truce in the trenches of World War I.

The man who finds the letter traces the old lady who once owned the desk. She's now in a nursing home, her home having burned down. She mistakes him for her sweetheart who never returned from the Great War.

In my local library, this book is shelved with the pre-school picture books, down near junior fiction. I understand the mistake. The format of the book makes it hard to do otherwise.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accompanied by Michael Foreman’s beautiful, touching illustrations, in this short story turned picture book, the past and present meet in the form of a letter. It begins in the present day with a purchase of a much desired roll-top desk in need of restoring due to fire damage. The unnamed narrator decides to begin work on it on Christmas Eve to escape overly excited relatives for a while. Pulling out the drawers, he discovers a letter written on December 26, 1914 and addressed to Mrs. Jim Macpherson. In the letter, a soldier describes how British and German soldiers came together on that frosty Christmas morning, sharing food and drink from each other’s Christmas packages, and playing a game of football. For Captain Jim Macpherson, the day was spent getting to know Hans Wolf from Dusseldorf, who spoke perfect English and whose favorite book was Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd. At the end of the day, the two parted friends. On Christmas day, our narrator decides to visit the address on the letter, an old house that had had a fire. A neighbor tells him the woman, Mrs. Macpherson, now about 101 years old, had survived and was in a nursing home, where the narrator next goes. Yes, he finds her, she recognizes the letter, but the ending though sad, it so poignant. But, you can read it for yourself. The story was published in the Guardian in 2003 and you can find it here: The Best Christmas Present in the World

[Tiyasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

made me cry, 10/10 recommend

[Hannah Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice small book!
Michael Foreman's illustration's are so beautiful and paired with Michael Morpurgo's beautiful short story make a beautiful little read.

A man finds a letter in an old roll top desk he bought. Even thought he knows he shouldn't he reads it and is able to deliver it.
On Christmas Eve this letter finally gets read by whom it was written to.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by the author of Warn Horse, Michael Morpurgo revisits the trenches to tell the haunting story of Christmas 1914 when soldiers on both sides put down their weapons in honour of Christmas Day. This book is perfect for ages 6-10 and is a factual interpretation of World War One. This picture book not to be missed at Christmas time and is perfect for children wanting to learn more about the war. Michael Morpurgo tells this vivid and emotive war story and is matched with the stunning artwork of Michael Foreman. Starting with a hidden letter found in an old wooden desk leading to an experience that will touch you, I am extremely glad I read this book and would defiantly recommend it to younger readers.

This story touches upon many themes which could allow for cross-curricular teaching including: WW1, Christmas miracle, peace and harmony, brotherhood, friendship and enmity. A heart-warming tale of the First World War can teach children a lot about the troubles people faced in these times. A very quick read which can have a profound effect on children. One of my favourite books by Morpurgo it is safe to say it will give anyone who reads it goosebumps. The illustrations are beautiful and it is a wonderful storybook to use particularly at Christmas time but also when studying World War One. This book is part of our history and should be shared with children and theirs to come. Written beautifully the climax brought a tear to my eye.

[YugTheProPirate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic short story about war,love,loss of loved ones written in such an accessible manner which takes place on christmas!

Basically,it is a story about this dude who,when finding a table,finds a letter inside of it,reads it,then gives it to the wife of the person who wrote the letter to return it to her.Basically,in the letter,the husband was in the war and wrote about how wholesome christmas was in the war.The letter had been written decades ago and the man who wrote it died and his wife was sent to a nursing home as her home burned down (the table was in the house which burned down,which was then sold later) and when the author goes to return the letter to her,she mistook him to be her husband as she was very old.

Honestly,this book was a stunner in it’s writing.It is super easy to read and also has some beautiful quotes!

The characters also have so much depth except for…the main character who’s name we dont even know!

[Drine Psylook · Rating 4 out of 5]

En tout cas, on ne pourra pas nié que cette trêve a été un beau geste, même si elle fut brève et n’a pas abouti à la paix souhaitée.l’auteur nous partage la lettre de Jim, j’ignore si c’est la véritable ou si elle a été réécrite et abrégée pour les besoin de cet album. Ça m’a beaucoup fait penser au film Joyeux Noël, les deux formats doivent avoir la même source.
J’ai bien aimé les illustrations, elles sont joliment crayonnées, certaines m’ont davantage plu que d’autres : je n’ai pas accroché au character design des personnages, ce n’est pas qu’ils sont moches, mais ils sont assez classiques et très anglais. Donc je préfère celles où ils sont plus loin, principalement parce que les décors sont chouettes.
J’ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture, je suis contente de l’avoir lue, surtout en cette période.
https://psylook.kimengumi.fr/2021/12/...

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief but lovely read with evocative illustrations by Michael Foreman. You can actually read the whole story here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
but this version with illustrations is much better!
This would be a great book to use with children or in a classroom - first as a discussion about what the best Christmas present in the world might be, then as an introduction to discussions or learning about the First World War.
Accessible and uplifting, this would be a great read for the centenary year or leading up to Christmas.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about a boy who finds a letter that was written by a soldier during Christmas of 1914 when fighting in the war. The boy reads the letter and then returns it to the lady it was written for in a care home. The solider explains in his letter how they played football on Christmas day and how none of the soldiers there wanted to be fighting. The book shows how hope and friendship are stronger than any war. A great book to accompany a topic on WW2.

[Tarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt story, based on the Christmas truce during World War I, where enemies became friends for just one night, and the holiday spirit prevailed.

It starts with a hidden letter found in an old wooden desk... and leads into an experience that will really touch you. A great tale! I'm so glad I happened across it.

[Sandra Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing telling of the Christmas Truce in World War 1, with an added personal twist. This is part of our history that should be shared with our children and theirs. I found this particularly poignant reading it at the time of the centenary memorial services and events.

[Sourimak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une réussite de Morpurgo pour faire connaître ce fait réel du Noël 1914 sur le front. Au travers d'une belle lettre enrobée d'un écrin de fiction, l'auteur nous émeut et rend un bel hommage à l'amour et à la paix.

[Roza Rinaldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this at school, it was probably around December 2023 or something, I can’t remember, but we read quite a lot of Michael Morpurgo, this was a nice book, it was also quite interesting coz I like books about the war.

[Rachreads22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with moo. He actually read this one to me, which was lovely.

A heart-warming short story about the christmas day truce in the first world war. Moo enjoyed learning about it and it was very nicely done.

[Emily Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice quick read at the festive time of year

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An antique desk, a stuck drawer, a letter from the front dated Christmas 1914, a care home, a 101 year old widow. A very moving story.
Sam Hodges gives a marvelous performance as narrator.

[Leander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written beautifully.

"You told me you'd come home by Christmas, dearest... And here you are, the best Christmas present in the world."

Kinda got too in the feels at the end.
Would recommend

[Anu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart Warming story which touches you deep in our hearts. Well narrated and brilliant illustrations.
The Climax brought tears to my eyes.

[Prashanth Vidiyala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This app helped me alot

[Nick Josselin-Mellish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short (*very* short) and sad and haunting.

[N.SriRam]

This story is from5 to 9 years old ,but I am 13 now .
Although I am 13 I still love this book to read hundreds of times.

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

As ever, sheer perfection. No need to say any more.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with tissues!

[Bryan Chicato · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author were really excellent.

[Martinez A. Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very good. I highly recommend it if you want to read something interesting.