Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a reread of this book. It's a happy and funny retelling of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I love the Medieval feel of it. It's absurd, as Francis gets more and more interested in providing 'romantic' gifts for Annaple and her siblings have to deal with them. I finally found out why the five hens are French. ( )

Loved re-reading this book from my long ago childhood. Beautifully written, it tells the story of Annaple, who has a decidedly romantic view of marriage and is not interested in the more pragmatic Francis' attempts to woo her. Loosely based on the '12 days of Christmas' song, Francis swings into action, helped by Annaple's brothers and sister who would be happy for her to leave home (they all like Francis) as her cooking is awful and she bosses them dreadfully. As Francis' romantic gestures become more fanciful, Annaple gets sniffier and the whole town follows the wooing with interest.

Daily life, Christmas traditions and the fickleness of emotions make this a really enjoyable read, especially for 9-12 year olds. ( )