One Christmas Eve

Corinne Fenton & Marjorie Crosby-Fairall

One Christmas Eve, Grandpa puts on his best shirt, Bella passes him his favourite hat, and they wave goodbye to Gran. Together they walk along the tape measure streets and roundabout corners until there, before them, is Luna Park.

When Bella visits Luna Park on Christmas Eve with Grandpa, he hands her a single silver coin to use on a ride. Bella enjoys the excitement of the roller-coaster, the squeals from the ghost train ride and the laughter from the giggle palace, but she is drawn to the sparkling carousel and it’s here she spends her precious coin.

When Bella climbs onto her dashing carousel horse, something magical happens when they launch into the velvety night sky where they encounter a jolly man in a red suit and his prancing reindeer. But the magic doesn’t end there. On Christmas morning, Bella wakes to find a beautiful painted rocking horse under the Christmas tree.

One Christmas Eve

 

‘One Christmas Eve a little girl is taken to Luna Park by her grandfather and chooses to ride on the merry-go-round. As she is riding, the horse takes off and flies over Melbourne, the carols by candlelight, the city, the river and the zoo. This charming and nostalgic Christmas story by Corinne Fenton is perfectly complemented by whimsical illustrations by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall.’

—Jill Smith, Good Reads

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