Children’s literary giants Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, the creative minds behind the beloved classic We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, have once again joined forces to craft a poignant new seasonal story for The Big Issue.
Titled Pax: A Festive Tale, the collaboration aims to deliver a "heartwarming" narrative while shedding light on pressing social issues.
The exclusive new story, set to feature in next week’s edition of the magazine, follows a family grappling with financial hardship.
Their beloved cat, Pax, is forced to venture into the cold after they can no longer afford to feed him. This marks the third time Rosen and Oxenbury have collaborated, with their most recent project, Oh Dear, Look What I Got!, published earlier this year – their first in 36 years since their iconic 1989 book.
Michael Rosen, 79, expressed his commitment to the initiative, stating: "The Big Issue do exceptional work enabling their homeless and vulnerable vendors to have some stability by selling the Big Issue. So, I do the thing that I can do to support them, which is to write." He also praised his long-time collaborator’s artistic vision, adding: "I love Helen’s vision to illustrate the story from the perspective of ‘we’ the viewer, looking in ‘over the shoulder’ of what the mum and daughter see through the window."
Illustrator Helen Oxenbury, 87, shared her enthusiasm for the project. "I was delighted when I read Michael’s poignant story to be able to contribute to the wonderful work of the Big Issue," she remarked.
Oxenbury explained her artistic approach: "My contribution was to illustrate his story, and I immediately felt that the emotion was the characters on the outside in the cold looking in." She also revealed a rare specific request from Rosen: "Michael’s only request to me, was could the cat please be black? As that’s the only visual note he has ever asked of me in over 30 years, of course, I have made Pax a black cat – as I know that Michael has two cats, who are mostly black."
Paul McNamee, UK editor of The Big Issue, lauded the new work, calling it "a remarkable, ultimately heartwarming story." He added: "To have him and Helen team up again to create something so unique is a wonderful Christmas gift. We’re hugely grateful."
The Big Issue highlighted that Pax: A Festive Tale serves to underscore the harsh reality faced by 3.8 million Britons currently living in poverty. Data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reveals that rates of destitution in the UK have more than doubled since 2017, with over a million children anticipated to confront such circumstances this Christmas.
Readers can find Pax: A Festive Tale in The Big Issue from December 8.
