Make and Play: Christmas
By: Author – Nosy Crow; Illustrator – Joey Chou
Rating: 5 of 5
This is a cute and fun and jolly Christmas book of ornaments to have for the holidays. While it is intended for toddlers and young children (my grandkids are 2 and 4 years old respectively), it is also a fun way to add a little jolly Christmas ornaments to display regardless of your age.
The ornaments include: angel, star, Santa, several snowflakes, reindeer, snowman, several ornaments (including a bell shape), a Christmas tree and two hearts, gingerbread girl and boy, and two candy canes. There are also pages of Christmas activities and songs to enjoy throughout the season.
I bought this book thinking that the items would be able to stand on their own but they are really ornaments as only the tree, the reindeer and a star can really stand. All of the items have hole punches at the appropriate spot, so you can add string or thin ribbon to hang them. I don’t have a tree this year (I’m recovering from a severe pneumonia with 24/7 oxygen while I recover so a dusty real or artificial tree is a big no-no for me.) I thought I could display this set with the grandkids helping put them together. The tree does stand and will sit on my foyer table with the reindeer and star with a few other Christmas items – so it is my Christmas tree this year! By next year, I will be able to use the rest of the ornaments as intended.
The artwork in this book is by Joey Chou. My grandkids have some of his Disney artwork in their bedrooms at home and my whole family have become fans of his work. Whenever I see a children’s book with his illustrations, I pick them up. I was really pleased to find both this book and his Nativity press-out book this year. (the Nativity is one that you can either set up as a display or hang as an ornament so I will display it as I can’t this whole set.)
Putting together the pieces is easy to do. You remove them from the book and then remove the tiny press out areas from the slots. There aren’t any instructions but you really don’t need them.
The book is published by Nosy Crow (I know them best from their Bizzy Bear series.) The cardboard press-out pages are a good thickness (not too thin, not too thick) and have a glossy finish. It is easy to put the items together with a little care not to push together too hard.
The activity pages at the back are slightly thinner paper but certainly as thick as card stock and also has a nice glossy finish.
The book is in a hard cover and has a spiral binding. While it is possible to remove the board pages once the press-outs are removed, I don’t recommend it. Those pages help keep the integrity of the book together. I, personally, plan to store mine put together but I think if you choose to do so, you can take them apart (with care!) and put them back together again next year.
This is a cute and fun and jolly Christmas book of ornaments to have for the holidays. While it is intended for toddlers and young children (my grandkids are 2 and 4 years old respectively), it is also a fun way to add a little jolly Christmas ornaments to display regardless of your age.