Christmas stories belong only at Christmas time with two exceptions: Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Bah! Humbug! by Michael Rosen (with drawings by “Horrid Henry” illustrator, Tony Ross), which is a magical retelling of Dickens’ famous festive story.
Without giving away many spoilers, I can reveal that Michael Rosen has successfully framed A Christmas Carol with a modern story in a way that will help children see how the novel speaks about the way we are now.
Modern children feel particularly detached from classic literature and it requires a gifted writer to make them appreciate the value of beloved traditional tales.
Personally I love this retelling almost to the point that I almost prefer it to the original story. Michael Rosen is an incredible author who manages to convey the powerful messages of Dickens’ original tale by adapting it in a modern and unique way.
The story sees the protagonist Harry Gruber playing the role of Scrooge in his school’s production of A Christmas Carol. He is extra nervous about tonight’s performance because his father is in the audience – not away for business, as usual. The story’s message of Christmas cheer and the redemptive power of love will reach his father’s distracted heart in a cathartic way.
The combination of Michael Rosen’s funny yet heartfelt writing and Tony Ross’ amazing illustrations results in something truly special: a modern Christmas classic tale that will certainly be enjoyed for many years to come.
Bah! Humbug! is a seasonal classic brought up to date by two giants of kids’ fiction.
As a curiosity, the expression Bah Humbug is used to show disgust at the Christmas season, made famous by the fictional character Scrooge in the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol. This is the passage where it’s mentioned:
Guy: ‘I love Christmas, Don’t you Mr Scrooge?’
Scrooge: ‘Bah! Humbug!’
Bah! Humbug! has been chosen as London Mums’ favourite Christmas book for 2017.
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