On Christmas Day, 1914, British, French and German soldiers spontaneously stopped firing from their trenches and met in the middle of No-Man's land to exchange gifts and sing carols. It's rare to find a book set in war that is heartwarming - this one is. It goes right to the heart of the humanity of the soldiers, the ludicrous nature of the fact that men, fighting to the death one moment, were able to share celebrations and forge friendships the next. It's a powerful book that speaks about the tragedy and fultility of wars everywhere and throughout history.

Written in the form of a letter from a soldier to his mother, telling her the story of the events of that day, and beautifully illustrated - the front cover illustration tells the story all by itself! - the book has a feeling of immediacy about it, and is deeply memorable. It's a perfect book for teaching kids about World War One, with the balance of life in the trenches and this Christmas glimmer of hope in humanity beautfully pitched. It would also make a great stimulus for some fabulous learning activities either in the form of drama or letter writing!