Christmas in the Toyshop

This is a lovely story written by the popular author, Enid Blyton and is the story of a group of toys who decided to throw their very own Christmas party while the shop was closed during the festive season.

It was originally published in 1949 under the title 'Oh! What a Lovely Time' with illustrations by Jeanne Farrar. Except for the front cover the majority of the illustrations were in black and white, quite different from the majority of children's books today.

Cover of the original book 'Oh! What a Lovely Time'

The language used in the book sounds quite old-fashioned to modern ears but this gives the book an enchanting feel and provides a good talking point for children when comparing this book to ones written today.

The book has since been rewritten making a few changes, the most significant being the removal of the character 'Golly' the black doll and replacing him with a rocking horse. The new version of the book was given the title 'Christmas in the Toyshop'. The illustrations were all redone by Sue Pearson for this new book.

Black and white illustration from the original book showing Golly and all the other toys.

Get ready for the festive season with our reading of the modern version of this Christmas tale written by Enid Blyton.