The Three Wishes

From bestselling children's author and illustrator Alan Snow comes the perfect Father Christmas origin story

A beautiful, fresh take on a classic tale, once read it will become a family Christmas tradition forever.

A beautifully-told and stunningly-illustrated Father Christmas origin story.

Coming together like a perfect festive jigsaw, this story explains all of the traditions and myths around Santa Claus, from how he travels around the world in one night, how his sleigh and reindeer can fly, and why he leaves presents, to the origins of his red coat.

A young boy is herding his family’s reindeer when they are drawn into a mysterious cave. The cave is the holder of eternal summer, looked after by three strange characters – a wooden creature, a bird and a fish. Once entered, the cave cannot be left without time in the outside world standing still. In his sadness at not being able to leave, the boy is granted three wishes and chooses freedom, happiness and time. He is told that they will all be granted – eventually.

About the Author

Alan Snow is an award-winning children's book illustrator and designer who has worked on more than 160 books. His novel, Here Be Monsters (OUP, 2005), was made into an animated film, The Boxtrolls, which spent several weeks at the top of the UK box office in 2015.

Fascinated with 'how things work', Alan turned his attentions towards the kitchen, acquiring sophisticated equipment such as vacuum machine, centrifuge, freeze dryer and shock chiller, and has developed his own culinary 'lab'. He has since consulted for The Ethicurian restaurant, and is in the process of launching a boutique ice cream parlour in the Cotswolds, with a nod to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Alan now runs workshops and courses for professional chefs and cooks, and his gastronomic experiments are due to be filmed for a documentary.