JUST ENOUGH ROOM FOR CHRISTMAS
Today I’m happy to feature multi published author Robin Currie to talk about her adorable book JUST ENOUGH ROOM FOR CHRISTMAS. Illustrated by Estelle Corke and published by GoodBooks/Sky Horse on September 2, 2025, this is a story that you’ll want to check out for the upcoming Christmas season. Just take a look at the sweet cover!
A bit about JUST ENOUGH ROOM FOR CHRISTMAS:
In a tiny barn in Bethlehem, Old Hannah the cow lives alone until the cold wind drives other animals to seek shelter. One by one, they squeeze in, but when a tiny mouse stirs up trouble, the barn erupts into chaotic mooing, meowing, and barking. Will there be enough room for a little family to have a silent night?
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Now on to our interview:
M. Congratulations, Robin your book is adorable! For starters, can you share how did you come up with the idea for this story?
R. In Story Storm 2023 (30 Picture book idea brainstorming month in January), idea #5: “stable is just a shed for travelers’ horses and donkeys, the inn keepers’ cow and a few mice – Nothing Happens in a Stable.”
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M. I love Tara Lazar’s Story Storm! How wonderful that the challenge helped you to come up with a book. How did this idea grow into a story?
R. Talking to my agent later that spring, he suggested I write 10 pieces about Christmas and see if he could sell some. That produced some winners like “Did the Holy Family Drive a Truck?” and “Why the Kings were Late to Bethlehem.” And one called “Old Hannah.” The premise was along the lines of “always room for one more,” where it gets more and more crowded as more animals escape the cold. That way, I incorporated my fluent second language: cow (with a passable knowledge of goat, cat, and dog). The twist on the original story is that the last to arrive is a tired couple about to have a baby. The animals quiet down to make room for the newborn king. I had that outlined early on with the animals asking Old Hanna to let them in, and the cow replying. BLAAT! Buzzer sound – foul!
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M. 10 pieces about Christmas! Wow! And just one worked, huh? That shows just how hard it can be to break into the industry. Thanks for sharing that, and by the way, the twist is perfection! Such a wonderful way to tie in a Christmas layer. So, how did “Old Hannah” became a Christian story? Was it hard to enter that market?
R. The agent told me that in the religious market today, animals don’t talk. And despite the fact that I could name lots of books where animals DID talk – plus the whole “Gift of the talking animals on Christmas Eve” thing – he said it had a better chance of selling if the cattle did not chatter. And the title should be changed to something about Christmas.
OK – “Christmas in the Barn.” Time for the critique groups – live and online – some little stuff, but basically lots of good feedback. And another title change, “Just Enough Room for Christmas.”
So, more tweaking, and I sent the manuscript to a professional editing group where it scored a once-in-a-lifetime “1”!
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M. I think the feedback you received was spot on, and I honestly believe that JUST ENOUGH ROOM FOR CHRISTMAS is the perfect title. It’s amazing how stories and even titles evolve with the process of revising and critiquing. Can you tell us what happened next? How was the journey to publication like?
R. Full proposal with comp title and marketing plan sent. Obviously, the offers should come rushing in. Crickets. (Churrip-churrip!) So, I sent it to a couple of contests, mostly for some outside feedback. The manuscript got an honorable mention in the Cascade Writers 2024 and won Silver for Royal Palm Literary Awards 2024 from Florida Writers Association. You have to believe in a Blue Ribbon Cow! I sent a slush pile submission to Good Books/Sky Horse (noting the manuscript was already an award winner and the animals did NOT talk!) and got an immediate response. Not only YES – but YES in 2025! You know the cow that jumped over the moon? I was on its back! Mooooo!
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M. Wow! Congratulations on your awards! This story was really meant to be a book! I’m so happy it happened for you, Robin. This shows how every book has it’s own journey and how important participating in contests can be. Can you share if you have anything in the works now? What’s next for you?
R. From Publishers Weekly Nov 4, 2024:
Michele McAvoy at The Little Press, in partnership with Debra Goldstein from the environmental nonprofit One Little Earth, has bought world rights to Pioneer Tree by Robin Currie, illustrated by Merry Miller-Gass. In this first-person telling, a Quaking Aspen describes a forest fire’s damage and the tree’s unique role as the first to regrow. Publication is set for fall 2026; Cyle Young at Cyle Young Literary Elite represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
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This is so exciting Robin, Pioner Tree sounds wonderful! I wish you the best with both of your projects and may you enjoy a lot of love for JUST ENOUGH ROOM FOR CHRISTMAS in the coming weeks as we enter the Christmas season (my absolute favorite). I’m so happy I got to celebrate with you!
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ROBIN’S BIO:
Robin Currie’s library career was in the children’s department, where she could baa, moo, and honk without getting shushed. She has traditionally published 45 picture books, writing stories to read and read again! Her next book, Just Enough Room for Christmas, released on September 2 from Good Books/Sky Horse.
Landing page: Robin Currie | Substack
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/robincurrie
Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/165559.Robin_Currie
Facebook: Robincurrieauthor
Linked In: rc2147/
Instagram: authorrobincurrie/
BlueSky: @robincurrie.bsky.social
Thanks for reading!
M
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Cover photo by Christina.
