When Noah’s favourite toy goes missing on the night before Christmas readers learn what happens to the toys at this special time of year. The Toys Christmas by Claire Clement and Genevieve Godbout is a lovely little story full of love and magic.

The toys all head to the North Pole the night before Christmas because they have a very important job. They need to tell Santa what their child wants for Christmas because they know their child the best. At first I thought this story was a riff on the island of misfit toys but it’s actually just a wonderful story of love between a toy and their person. What a lovely bit of magic to share with readers, a Toy Story vibe with a more intimate feeling than the Elf on the Shelf.

What makes this book stand out are the illustrations. Genevieve Godbout’s dreamy illustrations are just perfect for holiday stories. They evoke feelings of magic and nostalgia that make any book she illustrates a treasure and one that will be read year after year.

If you happen to do a storybook advent calendar, put this one on the list.