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Children’s literary giants Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, the creative mind behind the beloved classic we’re going bear huntinghave come together once again to create a poignant new seasonal tale Big issue.
Topic Pax: A Festive TaleThe collaboration aims to present a “heart-touching” story while highlighting serious social issues.
The special new story, appearing in next week’s edition of the magazine, is the story of a family struggling with finances.
Their beloved cat, Pax, is forced to live in the cold because they are no longer able to feed him. This marks the third time Rosen and Oxenbury have collaborated with their most recent project, Hey darling, look what I found!Published earlier this year – the first in 36 years since his iconic 1989 book.
Michael Rosen, 79, expressed his commitment to the initiative, saying: “The Big Issue does extraordinary work in enabling its homeless and vulnerable vendors to achieve some stability by selling The Big Issue. So, I do what I can to support them, which is to write.” She also praised her longtime collaborator’s artistic vision, adding: “I like Helen’s vision for portraying the story from the point of view of ‘we’ the viewer, the mother and daughter looking ‘over the shoulder’ through the window.”
Painter Helen Oxenbury, 87, shared her enthusiasm for the project. He commented, “I was delighted when I read Michael’s touching story to be able to contribute to the amazing work of the Big Issue.”
Oxenbury explained his artistic approach: “My contribution was to illustrate his story, and I immediately felt that the emotions were those of the characters looking in from the outside in the cold.” He also revealed a rare specific request from Roseanne: “Michael’s only request to me was, could the cat please be black? Since this is the only visual note he’s asked me in over 30 years, of course, I made Pax a black cat – as I know Michael has two cats, which are mostly black.”
Paul McNamee, UK editor big issuepraised the new work, calling it “a remarkable, ultimately moving story”. He added, “To have him and Helen together again to create something unique is a wonderful Christmas gift. We are extremely grateful.”
big issue shed light on Pax: A Festive Tale It serves to underline the harsh reality faced by the 3.8 million Britons currently living in poverty. Data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows poverty rates in the UK have more than doubled since 2017, with more than one million children expected to face such circumstances this Christmas.
readers can find Pax: A Festive Tale In The Big Issue from December 8th.