More Christmas/Holiday/Winter Themed Picture Books With Recipes or Craft Instructions Included at the Back

It's been a few days since I've posted about our picture book (with recipe or crafts included), countdown to Christmas. So, once again, before I get completely confused, and out of order, I'll quickly review what we've read so far. Hopefully this way, by Christmas we'll have a complete list, with 24 or more books to recommend.

Clicking the links below will take you to our review and project post for each book, unless otherwise stated.

Nov. 27 - A Pioneer Christmas by Barbara Greenwood - contains multiple crafts and recipes. We made a cup and ball game following instructions in the book.


Nov. 28 - The Cookie Store Cat by Cythia Rylant - contains multiple cookie recipes. We made Frosty Fruit Squares, and played "cookie shop" with cardboard cookies.


Nov. 29 - The Very Best Christmas Ever! by Emilie Barnes - contains multiple crafts and recipes. We held a peppermint tea, with peppermint dipped marshmallows and triple chocolate cake (recipe included in the book).


Nov. 30 - Max & Mo Make a Snowman by Patricia Lakin - contains a snowman craft, which we made.


Dec. 1 - Zoo Flakes ABC by Will C. Howell - contains instructions for cutting paper dollish type snowflakes. We also found snowflake folding, and cutting instructions in I Am Snow by Jean Marzollo, and Snip, Snip...Snow! by Nancy Poydar.


Dec. 2 - A Blue's Clues Holiday by Angela Santomero, contains instructions and suggestions for making a paper chain, and paper plate snowflakes, and has a recipe for pecan snowball cookies, which we tried out.


Dec. 3 - The Candymaker's Gift by David and Helen Haidle (the link will take to to our review of the book from last year), contains a candy cane cookie recipe, and multiple activity ideas, including stirring hot chocolate with a candy cane, which we enjoyed again this year.


Dec. 4 - Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett includes a recipe for gingerbread men.


Dec. 5 - World Book's Christmas in Finland, contains a number of recipes and instructions for crafts out of Finland. We made ice lanterns.


Dec. 6 - Look-Alikes Christmas by Joan Steiner has instructions for making peanut bear ornaments, which we attempted, and lollipop elves.



Dec. 7 - World Book's Christmas in Denmark includes multiple recipes and crafts from Denmark. We made three-dimensional paper stars.


Dec. 8 - If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, Special Christmas Edition, by Laura Numeroff, contains a CD, sheet music, multiple recipes, and craft instructions. We made Mouse's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.



Dec. 9 - Counting to Christmas by Nancy Tafuri has three projects for sharing Christmas with the birds. We made peanut butter covered pine cone bird feeders.


Dec. 10 -Christmas Delicious by Lyn Loates...


...has a recipe at the back for "Raisin and Rice Christmas Treats". They are basically Rice Krispie treats, with chocolate chips melted in with the marshmallows, and raisins added. We left the raisins out of ours, but otherwise thought they were quite good.


Dec. 11 - Cranberry Christmas by Wende and Harry Devlin - this link will take you to our review of the book from last year, which includes a link to an animated special based on the story, as well as a link...


...to Taste of Home's copy of the recipe, from the back cover of the book, for "Maggie's Favorite Cranberry Cookies".


If I had read last year's review, before making the cookies this year, I might have remembered the recipe makes eight dozen cookies (as is stated at the end of the recipe). Luckily, the dough works for bar cookies, a lot like cranberry bread, by simply reducing the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and increasing the baking time from 15 minutes to 25 or 30, and baking the dough, spread out in a greased, 9''x13'' pan.

That nearly brings us up-to-date, with the exception of the last few posts, hopefully coming your way later today and tomorrow.

It's great to be a homeschooler