"Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents", grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.” The opening of Little Women has had children nodding in agreement since 1869 and my generation at least was horrified when the secret present that they each received was a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress. Little Women begins and ends at Christmas, and much of the moralistic sermonising of the book is very much of its time, but there is something to be said for a children’s book with a moral, especially at this time of year. Browsing through the new offerings published for Christmas this year, there is very little which is truly redolent of the message of the season. There are of course some notable exceptions, and many classics to turn back to which the children in your life will love.