The Top 5 Activity Books On My List This Holiday Season

ALL BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE BY CHRISTMAS EXCEPT THE POP UP BOOK 

Pusheen Coloring Book by Claire Belton
 Paperback, Simon & Schuster, 2016
 96 pages

Pusheen returns in a delightful coloring book perfect for fans of I Am Pusheen the Cat.

The Internet’s favorite chubby, tubby tabby is back in a purr-fectly cute coloring book featuring adorable kitty drawings that will charm cat lovers and coloring book fans everywhere!

The 411:
Pusheen is the star of an animated web comic series and She's a cat! An adorable round colorful kitty. This coloring book is perfect for fans of Pusheen, cats, coloring and anything Kawaii.

The pages are fun. Tons of ice cream cones, Pusheen, stars, mandala designs and more.

I sampled a section of one of the pages and found that our colored pencils and gel pens are the best to use on this book. The pages are double sided and they were the only ones that didn't bleed through. We didn't do any coloring yet because this will be wrapped and placed in my girl's stocking for Christmas. She loves Kawaii and cats!

Marvel: The Amazing 1000 Dot-to-Dot Book by Thomas Pavitte

Paperback, Thunder Bay Press,  2016

48 Pages

Your favorite Marvel superheroes are presented in 20 dot-to-dot puzzles that are amazing enough to display when you're finished! More sophisticated than the one-dimensional dot-to-dots you knew as a child, these puzzles take about 30 minutes to complete. Expressive line work builds as you join the dots, and each page is easily removed when you're finished. Who will be revealed next? Get your pencil ready to connect!

The 411:

OK! First! This is not your mother or father's dot to dot. This is not 1-35 and you eventually get a photo of a butterfly. This is amazing. The images are amazing and you can see them on the back page of the book.

The numbers go from 1-1000. I didn't mark up the book as I want to wrap it for my husband. He loves Marvel but I followed with my finger and was amazed at how detailed this is. Definitely a great way to relax.

A Bestiary of Tolkien Coloring by Mauro Mazzara
Paperback, Thunder Bay Press 2016
96 Pages

Gorgeous line art begs for color in this compendium of the beasts, monsters, and flora and fauna of Middle-earth. Bring your favorite creatures from the books into sharp detail with your colored pencils or markers. Smaug the dragon, Balrogs, Hobbits, and Elves give you plenty of opportunity for creativity and shading. Turn each page into a precious work of art!

 This work is unofficial and is not authorized by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers.

 The 411:

Pretty amazing detailed Tolkien imagery coloring book. Fans of science fiction, coloring, and Tolkien will enjoy this.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Crochet Kit by Kati Galusz
Thunder Bay Press, 2016
76 Pages

From bouncing Bumbles to Yukon gold, you'll love these adorable amigurumi figures from the classic television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! This cheerful kit contains all the materials you'll need to create Rudolph and Santa. Colorful photos and step-by-step directions in the 76-page instruction book will also guide you through crafting the Bumble, Charlie-in-the-Box, Dolly, Spotted Elephant, Hermey, Moonracer, Mrs. Claus, Clarice, Sam the Snowman, and Yukon Cornelius. Warm up your crochet hook for this group of charming holiday characters!

The 411

The kit comes with a step by step book and material to make 12 characters.  I cannot wait to do this with my daughter. The kit is truly a great gift. I am giving one to my daughter and one to my niece. So cute!

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer by Lisa Marsoli
Silver Dolphin Books, 2014
12 Pages

Start a new holiday family reading tradition with this delightful pop-up retelling of the beloved Christmas story. Just in time for its 50th anniversary, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is now a stunning pop-up book, a treasure for generations to come. All of the classic characters join Rudolph for his North Pole adventure: Hermey the elf/aspiring dentist, Yukon Cornelius, and the doe-eyed Clarice. The impressive large-scale pop-ups re-create classic scenes using actual movie stills. Fly along with Rudolph, join in the reindeer games, flee from the Abominable Snow Monster, visit the Island of Misfit Toys, and save Christmas one foggy night. Most importantly, be touched by the timeless story of acceptance and the true meaning of the holiday spirit.

The 411:

Everyone loves Rudolph and my kids are no different. Even at 11 and 13 they still have Christmas wonderment and will be getting this book on Christmas Eve with new pajamas to add to our extensive Christmas book collection.