In a bid to encourage reading, Hitchin Library have teamed up with Nub News for a 'Countdown to Christmas' list with a daily recommendation of a festive book favourite.

Library boss Rebekah Nicolas will offer a daily book choice for the festive season.

Through hearing stories, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital as they start to read.

Learning to read is also about listening and understanding, as well as working out what's printed on the page.

So, read on for Hitchin Library's festive favourite for today, Friday, December 11.

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Today's festive read takes a look at the night before Christmas with a twist.

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland offers a fun insight into how Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts became so keen to lop everyone's heads off!

Just as Santa is beginning his deliveries, an elf discovers a very old letter from the Princess of Hearts.

Upon arrival in Wonderland, Santa discovers no sign of Christmas and then appears a very angry Princess who is now the Queen of Hearts.

Stumbling upon a tea party and the White Rabbit, Santa learns why the letter was so late reaching him and sets about putting it right.

The story is very witty and the clever rhyming accompanied by the simply wonderful illustrations make this book a complete treat.

Book featured: The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland by Carys Bexington, illustrated by Kate Hindley (Macmillan)

This book can be reserved for free from Hertfordshire Libraries here