Michael Rosen and Tony Ross Recreate a Christmas Classic

“This Christmas, join Michael Rosen and Tony Ross with their unforgettable retelling of Charles Dickens’ beloved classic. In a school theatrical production of “A Christmas Carol”, the boy who plays Scrooge is extra nervous because his very busy father is in the audience. However, it’s likely his father won’t stay for the duration, due to business. As always. Will the classic story’s message of Christmas cheer and family love reach his father’s distracted heart?”

Michael Rosen and Tony Ross have teamed up to bring us a classic tale, rewritten for the modern age. Taking the essence of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Michael Rosen tells a story of Harry Gruber, a young boy who is set to play Scrooge in a school play. The young lad hopes his ever-distracted father will take heed of the play’s positive message of Christmas cheer to heart, if he manages to stay for the duration of the play!

Michael Rosen, a former Children’s Laureate, hopes his modern take on Dickens will be more relatable for modern youngsters:

“Great literature was written in its own time which sometimes means that we have to find ways to make it work for now. That’s what I have tried to do by framing A Christmas Carol with a modern story in a way that will help children see how the novel speaks about the way we are now.”

Tony Ross, who has most recently worked with David Walliams, has provided the illustrations for the new book. According to his publisher, Ross is actually descended from one of Charles Dickens’ original illustrators. What a wonderful coincidence!