We are huge fans of Kittie Lacey, The Fairytale Hairdresser, and love this newly published Christmas story which includes the fairytale characters from the previous books.
The Story: After a busy Christmas Eve at the salon, Kittie Lacey visits Father Christmas to get the elves and reindeers ready for work. They find Crystal, one of the elves, frozen in a block of ice by The Snow Queen who has taken all the Christmas presents. Father Christmas and Kittie rescue Crystal and go to The Snow Queen’s Palace. When Kittie says that she will be The Snow Queen’s friend, The Snow Queen defrosts the presents she has frozen and helps Kittie and Father Christmas deliver them. The fairytale characters gather on Christmas morning to open their presents, The Snow Queen finds a new friend on the ice rink and Father Christmas has an extra special present for Kittie.
The Fairytale Hairdresser and Father Christmas portrays the message that Christmas is about friendship and sharing. The Snow Queen has stolen all the presents because she’s always alone on Christmas Day and nobody invites her to parties. Kittie’s offer of friendship melts her frozen heart, she apologises and my daughter’s favourite picture shows The Snow Queen skating with her new friend, Jack Frost, (who earlier in the story kindly decorated Kittie’s shop window). Being kind and helping others is the theme throughout the story and The Snow Queen learns that to receive friendship you also have to be prepared to give.
The text is easy to read and Lauren Beard’s illustrations are full of details and humour, we spend lots of time spotting our favourite fairytale and nursery rhyme characters. I love the picture where the characters are opening their presents, there are some amusing and inspirational ideas, particularly the presents that Snow White and Goldilocks receive! My daughter likes exploring Father Christmas’ house with its workshop and gift wrapping room and we love the hairstyles that Kittie gives the elves and reindeer.
The Fairytale Hairdresser and Father Christmas is a feelgood Christmas story which includes presents, stockings, trees, snow and a lovely glittery final double spread which shows all the characters iceskating. It would make a perfect Christmas present for all fairytale fans.
Age Range: 3 +
Author: Abie Longstaff / Illustrator: Lauren Beard
Kitty rescues Crystal from the ice by melting it with a hairdryer which reminded my daughter of an experiment we did in the summer. I froze animals in a block of ice and she had to find a way of getting them out.
We tried a hairdryer, rubbed the ice with sugar (which had no effect), salt (which worked although slowly) but the quickest and easiest way to defrost it was using warm water.
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