Published by Nosy Crow, 2017.

My son and I whiled away a cold December afternoon with this lovely book. Make & Play Nativity has pop out pieces that slot easily together to make all the figures from the Nativity story: Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus, the shepherds, Angel Gabriel and the three kings. There are animals too: sheep, a cow, a donkey and a camel.

The book is recommended for children aged four and above but my two-year-old found plenty to enjoy – from popping out the pieces to transporting them around the living room in his tractor trailer!

This is a high quality publication with vibrant colours and lovely design details. The card stock is thick and, once made, the figures are robust enough to withstand an enthusiastic and inquisitive toddler. I’m particularly impressed by how both sides of the figures are illustrated. This gives you complete flexibility when displaying them and creating your Nativity scene.

You might wonder if there’d be any life left in the book once you’d popped out all of the pieces. Well, the people at Nosy Crow have thought about that; the book includes a short version of the Nativity story, the words to four Christmas carols, and the instructions for three Christmas craft activities. You can also slot all the figures back into the book once Christmas is over and re-use them again next year.

This is a gorgeous book. Creating the colourful Christmas scene together as a family was lots of fun.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 4+

Thank you to Nosy Crow for sending me this book to review.