Pre-orders are now open for this title!
Advance orders of this book will be posted as soon as stock arrives in our office - we estimate late Autumn 2026.
Please note! If you are buying other titles at the same time and would like these straight away, it’s best to order those separately, otherwise they will all be processed together in late 2026 to save on postage costs for you and for us.
*
“Sledges to the Rescue reveals a magic to be found in normal life, which still speaks to the present-day reader.”
- Jessie Burton
“Raymond Briggs is a gifted storyteller and supremely accomplished illustrator.”
- Chris Riddell
Manderley Press is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of Sledges to the Rescue - the third in a trilogy of short stories for children by Raymond Briggs. Along with The Strange House and Midnight Adventure (which we have already published, collected in one volume), all three stories are set in, and inspired by, Wimbledon inSouth London.
This brand new edition of another forgotten children’s classic is introduced by the international best-selling author Jessie Burton, who, like the author himself, also grew up in Wimbledon.
Raymond Briggs, who died in August 2022, was born in 1934, is perhaps best known for his books Father Christmas and The Snowman (which was adapted into the hugely successful film of the same name).
However, his very first books, in which he wrote and illustrated the content himself, were created in the early 1960s.
It is Christmas Day and the snow lies almost knee-deep in the streets of Wimbledon, the childhood landscape of Raymond Briggs and the setting for this enchanting festive tale of adventure and friendship.
When Ernie the milkman has an accident on his Christmas morning round, a group of local children come to the rescue. Armed with their newly gifted sledges, they set out to make sure the neighbourhood still gets its milk – finding time for all the excitement of a gloriously snowy day along the way.
Sledges to the Rescue is a rediscovered classic from one of Britain’s most beloved authors and illustrators. Behind its seasonal nostalgia lies the world Briggs knew as a child: the realities of working-class life in post-war London, the pleasures of making your own entertainment and the kindness of neighbours looking out for each other.
This is also a deeply personal story: in Ernie the milkman we see the inspiration for Briggs’s unforgettable character of Father Christmas, alongside glimpses of Briggs’s father, Ernest, who would later be immortalised alongside his wife in Ethel & Ernest.
The new edition reproduces all 42 of Briggs’ original illustrations to perfection.
*
Each book ordered through the website will be wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a matching silk ribbon, free of charge - and will also include an exclusive bookmark designed to complement the cover design.
Pre-orders are now open for this title!
Advance orders of this book will be posted as soon as stock arrives in our office - we estimate late Autumn 2026.
Please note! If you are buying other titles at the same time and would like these straight away, it’s best to order those separately, otherwise they will all be processed together in late 2026 to save on postage costs for you and for us.
*
“Sledges to the Rescue reveals a magic to be found in normal life, which still speaks to the present-day reader.”
- Jessie Burton
“Raymond Briggs is a gifted storyteller and supremely accomplished illustrator.”
- Chris Riddell
Manderley Press is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of Sledges to the Rescue - the third in a trilogy of short stories for children by Raymond Briggs. Along with The Strange House and Midnight Adventure (which we have already published, collected in one volume), all three stories are set in, and inspired by, Wimbledon inSouth London.
This brand new edition of another forgotten children’s classic is introduced by the international best-selling author Jessie Burton, who, like the author himself, also grew up in Wimbledon.
Raymond Briggs, who died in August 2022, was born in 1934, is perhaps best known for his books Father Christmas and The Snowman (which was adapted into the hugely successful film of the same name).
However, his very first books, in which he wrote and illustrated the content himself, were created in the early 1960s.
It is Christmas Day and the snow lies almost knee-deep in the streets of Wimbledon, the childhood landscape of Raymond Briggs and the setting for this enchanting festive tale of adventure and friendship.
When Ernie the milkman has an accident on his Christmas morning round, a group of local children come to the rescue. Armed with their newly gifted sledges, they set out to make sure the neighbourhood still gets its milk – finding time for all the excitement of a gloriously snowy day along the way.
Sledges to the Rescue is a rediscovered classic from one of Britain’s most beloved authors and illustrators. Behind its seasonal nostalgia lies the world Briggs knew as a child: the realities of working-class life in post-war London, the pleasures of making your own entertainment and the kindness of neighbours looking out for each other.
This is also a deeply personal story: in Ernie the milkman we see the inspiration for Briggs’s unforgettable character of Father Christmas, alongside glimpses of Briggs’s father, Ernest, who would later be immortalised alongside his wife in Ethel & Ernest.
The new edition reproduces all 42 of Briggs’ original illustrations to perfection.
*
Each book ordered through the website will be wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a matching silk ribbon, free of charge - and will also include an exclusive bookmark designed to complement the cover design.
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