Christmas is a time for family, fun and festivities. Every Christmas, families gather and exchange gifts, have a slap up meal and spend some quality time with each other. It is a time for merriment, laughter and love. But not if you are Gus, the grumpiest dog in the world at Christmas time. Gus really doesn’t like anything about Christmas! But maybe it doesn’t have to be all about him.
Gus is a grumpy dog, especially at Christmas. He doesn’t like a thing about it. He doesn’t like the Christmas decorations, and he can’t stand Christmas Carols, itchy festive jumpers are a no-no, snow and snow games are out of the question and don’t even get him started on the mistletoe! His unibrow and grumpy snout clearly show his displeasure for the festive season, which is in complete contrast to his young companion.
But Christmas isn’t all about Gus, his young companion loves Christmas – he loves the decorations, the Carols, the itchy festive jumpers, snow games, the mistletoe and everything else that goes with Christmas. This leads the grumpy Gus to realise that maybe he could like Christmas and doing things for his loved ones.
Gus decorates the tree, put up Christmas decorations, wears his Christmas jumper with pride, plays Christmas games, enjoys the Christmas feasts and even watches Christmas films, all to please his young companion. Making the youngster happy makes Gus happy and he learns to enjoy Christmas, not for himself but for his loved ones.
Overall, Merry Christmas Gus a fun story about the spirit of Christmas and not being about an individual but about family and friends. It is a laugh-out-loud story about a grumpy dog that sees the error of his ways and learns to like Christmas to make it fun for everyone.
Written and illustrated by Christ Chatterton, it is a simple story that is fun. The illustrations are fantastic and really portray the emotions of Gus, from his grumpiness to his happiness. The expressions on Gus’s face really shine through and help tell the story with ease.
Whether this is a book that is being read to children, read with them, or independently read by young readers, kids will love this humorous story. The illustrations, paired with the fun and easy to read text, will have young readers laughing out loud.
Merry Christmas Gus is a delightfully charming Christmas tale about the true spirit of Christmas. An excellent festive read that children will adore. I loved the illustrations that show how an obviously grumpy Gus changes from a miserable dog to a very happy, contented dog when he realises that Christmas isn’t just about his feelings but that of others and how joining in makes EVERYBODY happy. With the help of his young companion, Gus manages to turn his frown upside down (well until an unexpected gift arrives).
Don’t be a Grumpy Gus this Christmas, follow the example of Gus and get involved and make Christmas fun for you and your loved ones – you can start by reading Merry Christmas Gus with the kids.
Merry Christmas Gus is a fun Christmas story to get everybody into the spirit of Christmas.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £11.99 (Hardback) / £6.99 (Paperback) / £2.99 (Kindle)
For more information, visit www.chrischatterton.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
