The best books for keeping the kids busy during the holidays
Sometimes it’s nice on the holidays for everyone to busy themselves with a book for a few hours. Here are some of our best suggestions for keeping the kids busy during the Christmas season – from babies through to tweens.
PICKS FOR BABIES, TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS
It’s Mine! - Who is hiding in the jungle? Find out by lifting the flaps to spot the animals. You’re sure to enjoy the surprise pop-up ending to this chunky board book. For ages 0 and up.
Animals - This beautifully designed board book features colourful papercut art. Kids will love searching for their favourite animals on the busy pages. For ages 2 and up.
Bluey: Time to Play! - It’s Bluey and Bingo, plus oodles of stickers, plus puzzles – what more could anyone want? For ages 3 and up.
The Crayon’s Christmas - Join the Crayons for the festive season in this fantastic interactive book that has letters, games, press-out ornaments, a poster and a pop-up tree! For ages 3 and up.
PICKS FOR AGES 5-7
How Trains Work - This comprehensive and fascinating look at trains and railways throughout history is chock-full of information and featured plenty of lift-the-flaps and foldouts. For ages 5 and up.
Catch Cat - Travel to every continent to look for Cat (along with hundreds of other teeny-tiny things) and marvel at all the wonders of the world. For ages 5 and up.
Playing with Collage - Collage master Jeannie Baker shares her creative secrets in this highly visual guide that equips kids to make their own artworks from things they find in their houses, gardens and neighbourhoods. For ages 6 and up.
The House of Madame M - A creepy, kooky, spooky, large-format pop-up book. Explore the rooms of a strange house; lift the flaps, pull the tabs, and be surprised by the macabre details. For ages 6 and up.
PICKS FOR AGES 8-12
Eddie Woo’s Magical Maths - A bumper book of fun with maths stuffed with things to draw, puzzle, invent, order, unscramble, code and decode from Australia’s best known maths man. For ages 8 and up.
The Mysterious Mansion - Spend hours on intricate pathways – and learn history and mythology at the same time – with this unusual and slightly gothic colouring and puzzle book by Korean artist Daria Song, which follows a young girl trying to escape a mysterious mansion by solving puzzles and riddles. For ages 8 and up.
Greek Myths and Mazes - This beautiful book contains giant double-spread mazes themed around myths and stories from Ancient Greece. For ages 9 and up.
Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street - Celebrate the diverse food and cooking of an apartment block in this sumptuously illustrated cookbook with authentic and simple recipes clearly laid out for young chefs. For ages 10 and up.
