Book review: 'How Winston Delivered Christmas' is a fun way to count down to Christmas

"How Winston Delivered Christmas" is unlike any Christmas book I've ever read. And it's really fun! This book is part chapter book, part picture book, part advent calendar, and part craft book. Phew! That's a lot of books rolled into one, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's 176 pages.

Image from Amazon

There are twenty-four-and-a-half chapters, meant to be read one a day, starting on December 1. The first page explains how the book should be read and the two subsequent pages give an overview of the different crafts highlighted in each chapter. See that image down below? That's the overview I'm talking about.

Image from Amazon

Each chapter starts off by telling part of Winston's adventure of delivering a little boy's letter to Santa. Then, after Winston's chapter ends, kids can make a craft or learn about a Christmas tradition. By the time Christmas rolls around, kids will have made snowflakes, paper chains, cookies, and all kinds of other fun Christmasy-things.

Image from Amazon

Let's talk about the crafts for a minute. If you are a parent like me, you'll quickly realize that your kids will want to make every single craft every single day. That will call for a bit of planning on the parent's part because no one wants to be blindsided by having to make a run to the craft store for supplies you didn't know you needed. Right?

Image from Amazon

So let me alleviate any worries you might have. Most of the crafts can be made with items at home like, pens, paper, card stock, tape, and glue.

Yes, there are some items, like the party food recipes on pages 100 and 101, where you'll want to buy supplies before. Unless, unlike me, you always have puff pastry sheets and glacee cherries hanging around at your house. There are a few other crafts that will need things like a glass bowl, pine cones, and tea lights. But really, if you have basic craft supplies (and I'm not a crafter, so when I say basic, I mean basic), there are very few things you'll have to purchase.

My kids have been begging to read this book but I've told them they'll have to wait until December 1 because I know they're going to love having a fun new way to celebrate the Christmas season. While I don't think we'll do all the crafts, that'll be okay. The crafts are just a fun extra and most of them aren't integrated into the story line. So don't stress yourself out, thinking that your family can only enjoy this book if you do 100% of it. Even if you don't do any of the crafts, reading Winston's story is still a fun one.

"How Winston Delivered Christmas" is a clean book with nothing offensive in it.

Author and illustrator Alex T. Smith lives in the U.K. and has won several awards for his children's books.

Book breakdown:
176 pages
Full-color illustrations
Best for ages: 5-12
Educational factor: low
Religious content: none
Parents could be aware of: Your kids will want to craft every day of December.