Forget the Star of the East. The brightest light this Christmas is that unstoppable oldie Julia Donaldson, who at the age of 75 has no fewer than three new picture books hogging the bestseller lists. (Alison Green, £12.99), illustrated by Victoria Sandoy, is one of Donaldson's most reflective stories to date, using her familiar rhythmic verse to chart the changing seasons and cultures witnessed by a thousand year-old tree. (‘Way back in time, a thousand
