Paper Crafts for Christmas

Children's Literature - Heather Christensen

This entry in the "Paper Craft Fun for Holidays" focuses on Christmas as traditionally celebrated by Americans. The book opens with a short introduction on the holiday's historical background and explains the origins of many of these traditions. Each of the eight crafts features a different holiday symbol, from a holly wreath made out of a paper plate to a pop-up card of Santa going down the chimney. The instructions for the crafts are broken down into numbered steps accompanied by color photographs. The materials, which are clearly set forth in a colored box on the first page of instructions, are common craft supplies such as glue, construction paper, and crayons. Most of the instructions suggest using tracing paper to copy the patterns, though many of the patterns need enlarging (percentages for enlarging are included). The crafts themselves tend to be a bit ho-hum—with not much room for individuality, as the patterns are reminiscent of coloring book pages. A table of contents and index helps readers easily find what they are looking for, and a short list of books and internet addresses leads to more information on Christmas. Reviewer: Heather Christensen