The Usborne Advent Nativity Book

When my kids were tiny, we would make a paper ring chain to count down the days until Christmas.  When they got too old for that, I looked for Advent calendars to help us count down the days until Christmas.  But they were either too pricey, too flimsy, or had things my kids could fight over (like candy or toys).

So when I discovered The Usborne Advent Nativity Book I bought it immediately.

The Usborne Advent Nativity Book tells the Christmas story on thick, cardboard pages, illustrated with clay figures.  It’s a beautiful book, with shiny ‘gold’ stars bordering every page – and accenting the angels and the wise men.

But the thing we all love about the book are the pop-out pieces on every page.  They are all numbered and they each have a stand so you can pop them out one day at a time.  We set ours on top of our piano, and as the days creep closer to Christmas, our nativity grows and grows as we anticipate Christmas.

A couple of notes: some of the pieces included seem odd (rabbits, a cat, rats, palm trees to name a few), the publisher names the three wise men, and baby Jesus is put in the nativity on Christmas Eve.  But these are minor annoyances which we easily overlook in anticipation of our Christmas celebration.