Read Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury’s new Christmas story, created especially for Big Issue

Just over 36 years ago, Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury created a publishing sensation. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt became an instant children’s classic and essential reading for a generation. It sold more than 14 million copies. This year, the pair reunited to deliver a sequel, Oh Dear, Look What I Got!. To mark their return, they have come up with an exclusive for Big Issue. Rosen has written a wonderful seasonal tale, and Oxenbury has drawn an evocative illustration to carry alongside. 

Pax: A Festive Tale

“Can I feed Pax tonight, Mum?” Evie was sitting with her legs twined round the table, looking at Pax. Pax was looking at Evie. Mum was heating the beans. “Can I?” Evie said again. 

Pax seemed to know what Evie was saying. She looked at her empty bowl, up to Evie, across to Mum, back to the empty bowl. “Can I?” Evie said yet again. Mum looked away from the beans and up to the ceiling. “I…” She didn’t finish what she was going to say. Or she couldn’t finish what she was going to say. “Can I?” Evie said yet again. Mum carried the beans to the table. “I couldn’t…” Her voice faded. Evie looked at her, waiting for more. Mum poured the beans out onto Evie’s plate. “I didn’t have enough money,” she said. The way she said “money” sounded flat and dead enough for Evie to know that this wasn’t something you could argue with. It was final. A thing said, that landed on the table between them like a spoonful of mash. 

So Evie left it at that and ate her beans. When she had finished, she said, “What if…” “Mm?” said Mum in a dreamy way. Evie knew she was thinking about something else.

“Maybe Grandpa’s got some cat food, we could borrow…?” Evie’s voice tailed off. Mum sharpened up. “I’m not going to patch it up with him,” she said. “I’ve done it before and he just starts up all over again.” “But we’ll get together over Christmas,” Evie said quietly, more to herself than to Mum. 

Evie could see Grandpa sitting in the dark, on his own with his hand face down on the table.  

Mum’s face said no. They wouldn’t get together over Christmas.  

Later, in bed, Evie stared at the street lights painting colours on their bedroom wall. Pax sat on her bed, knocking her head against Evie’s hand. “It’s alright Paxie,” Evie said, “Everything’s going to be alright…” Hah that song! 

“I’m sorry about dinner,” Evie said to Paxie. “I know this happened yesterday. And the day before. But I promise you, it’ll be alright. Soon…”  

She could hear Mum on her phone. Was she arguing or telling a story about an argument? Evie felt herself slipping into sleep just as Pax gave up the knocking, jumped down off the bed and padded out of the room. Maybe Mum would find some food for Pax in the morning. Or the afternoon. Or the evening. Maybe.  

In the morning Evie looked across the room to Mum’s bed. She was fast asleep. Evie got up quietly so as not to wake Mum up, went into the kitchen and got herself a slice of bread. She wondered if Pax would like a slice of bread. She’d never seen Pax eat bread but maybe if Pax was very hungry she’d give it a go. “Paxie!” she called. No answer. “Paxie!” No answer. Was Pax sleeping on Mum’s bed? Evie thought, Did I miss her when I got up? She went back to the bedroom.  

Mum was still asleep. And Pax wasn’t there. 

Evie felt a panic spread up from her chest to her face. Where was she? She started to dash about, looking under the sofa, under the table, in the bathroom. Ah, the bathroom. The window was open. Mum and she had a deal. If you do a poo, always open the window. After I went to sleep, Mum must have gone to the loo and opened the window… and… Paxie must have got out. Evie looked out of the window. The roof below seemed a long way down. But maybe not for Paxie. 

“Paxie!” she shouted once more but she knew that it was too late. Paxie had gone. 

Paxie her best friend, Paxie who looked after her, Paxie who she, Evie, looked after, was gone. What if… what if she never came back? Just thinking about Paxie with her soft eyes and deep black fur felt like a big ache. And Evie knew it but couldn’t say it: Paxie had gone because they didn’t have enough food.   

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It was afternoon by the time Evie had got Mum to agree to come out looking for Paxie. They tried in the off licence. Gilbert said no. “Here!” he said and slipped Evie a packet of crisps. Mum looked at him. “We’re not beggars,” she said to him. Gilbert muttered back. They tried around the benches in the Triangle at the end of the street. A man was lying on some cardboard sheets under one of the benches. But no Paxie. 

They walked on. What if Paxie had gone posh? Evie wondered, and yes, Paxie thought she could get herself some dinner down Pomfrey Road! As the houses got bigger and the Christmas decs got brighter, Evie couldn’t stop herself thinking, never mind Paxie thinking she could nick some dinner down Pomfrey Road, what if she, Evie could get some dinner down Pomfrey Road? Eh? What about that? 

It started turning into a song in her head… I’m gonna get some dinner down Pomfrey Road… But then, she wondered some more. How does it happen that there’s places like Pomfrey Road and places like where she and Mum live and they’re so, so different? But like a lot of things, there was no answer coming back through the air. And, more importantly, there was no Paxie. As they walked on, Evie felt sadder. It was like a cold cloud. She thought of going back to the flat and Paxie not being there, never being there. Just Mum and her.  

As they came round the corner by the clock tower, Evie straightened up. She knew something. And she was going to say it, no matter what Mum might say back to her. 

“Grandpa’s street’s down there, isn’t it?” Mum did that sharpening up thing again. “And?” she said coldly. “I’d like to see him,” Evie said. “Not me,” Mum with her mouth tight, replied. But Evie sensed that if she kept walking towards Grandpa’s house, Mum had to come too. 

It was dark now. The lights from the shops lit up the pavement. The borough had made an effort this year, and on each lamppost, there was a giant silvery snowflake.  

Evie looked at her hand to see if any of the silver shone on to her fingers. They reached the house where Grandpa’s bottom-floor flat was. “I’m not coming in,” Mum said, “I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t be long.” Evie pressed the doorbell. No answer. 

She pressed it again. She heard a noise. There was the sound of a door opening inside. A light came on. And then another. And then some Christmas lights. Finally the door opened. It was Grandpa. He looked at Evie. “Gramps!” she shouted… and before he could say anything, she said, “we’ve lost Paxie, she’s run away and we’ve been looking for her for hours and she’s nowhere, she jumped out the bathroom window and…” 

But Grandpa was hugging her and looking beyond her to Mum. Mum stared. And at that moment, Evie felt something brush against her leg and foot. She looked down. It was Pax! What? How? When? Why? Evie’s mind was dashing about all over the place! “Are you going to stay out there all night?” Grandpa said to Mum. “If it rains, I’ll bring you out a brolly, if you like.” Mum laughed. First time in ages, Evie thought.  

“Paxie, Paxie, Paxie,” Evie trilled into Pax’s ear while she tickled her all over. “You’ve got the place up nice,” Mum said, “were you expecting anyone?” “Well,” Grandpa said, “I knew you lot wouldn’t come, so I thought I’d cheer myself up with a bit of tinsel.” “Have you got any cat food?” Evie said. “I don’t eat it myself,” Grandpa said, “I find it a bit gritty, but once your moggy come over, I did pop out and get some.” 

Mum dared to smile again. “That’s how you steal a cat, you know,” Grandpa went on. “You wait for one to turn up on your doorstep, give her some food, and a bit of a tickle, and they’re all yours.” Mum nodded. 

“If only it was that simple with us humans,” he added. “What if what was that simple, Grandpa?” Evie asked while she went on fussing and fussing over Paxie. 

“Just having a laugh,” Grandpa said. 

And then, much later, he said, “So you’ll come for Christmas? Or am I coming to yours?” 

“We’ll come to yours, won’t we Mum?” Evie said. And Mum nodded. That was a definite nod, Evie thought. That was a yes. A certain yes. And the lights on the tree winked. Paxie stared at them changing, on, off, on, off, on, off, on…   

Michael Rosen said

“Big Issue do exceptional work enabling their homeless and vulnerable vendors to have some stability by selling Big Issue. So, I do the thing that I can do to support them, which is to write. 

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.” 

Helen Oxenbury said

“I was delighted when I read Michael’s poignant story to be able to contribute to the wonderful work of Big Issue. Reading Michael’s tale felt so in step with Big Issue especially at this time of year. 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… Michael’s only request to me was could the cat please be black? And 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 – and they are mostly black!).” 

Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury is out now (Walker Books, £12.99). Enter our competition for a chance to win one of five signed copies.

Oh Dear, Look What I Got! is also available to buy from the Big Issue shop on bookshop.org, which helps to support Big Issue and independent bookshops.

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