The Christmas Toy Factory Read online

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  Lots of

  Ideas

  for a

  Special

  Sparkling Pinecones

  What you need:

  pinecones, soft brush,

  gold or silver paint, paintbrush, glitter, yarn

  Gather pinecones that have

  fallen from the trees and dust

  them lightly with a soft brush.

  Paint each pinecone with either

  the gold or silver paint.

  While the paint is still wet,

  sprinkle glitter on top to

  make the pinecones sparkle.

  Wrap the yarn around the base of each

  pinecone. Tie the two ends of the yarn

  together to make a loop.

  Hang the pinecone as a decoration on

  your Christmas tree!

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  Scented Half-Moons

  What you need:

  three oranges, knife,

  cutting board, red or green ribbon

  Ask an adult to slice the oranges in

  half, and then in half again on a cutting

  board, so that you have the shape of

  a half-moon. Let them dry someplace

  warm for five days. The top of a

  radiator is an ideal place.

  When the oranges are completely

  dried, ask an adult to poke a

  hole through the top of each slice.

  Thread a small piece of ribbon

  through the hole. Tie the two ends

  together and make them into a bow.

  Hang this decoration on your

  Christmas tree. It will give the whole

  room a wonderful scent.

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  Push a Popsicle stick into a Styrofoam ball.

  Brush a thin layer of glue onto the ball. Take a

  handful of the same kind of colored seeds and

  glue them onto the ball. Be sure to place them

  very close to one another. Let them dry well.

  Spread varnish over the

  seeded ball with a brush.

  Once the varnish is dry,

  remove the Popsicle stick from

  the ball. Take the ribbon and

  wrap it around the ball as if you are wrapping

  a gift, leaving a few inches of ribbon on either

  end. Tie these into a bow to hang on the

  Christmas tree.

  Repeat the steps above with

  the rest of the balls, using all

  the different types of seeds.

  Colorful Decorations

  What you need:

  Styrofoam balls, Popsicle sticks, glue,

  different-colored dried seeds (green lentils, red beans,

  corn, and sunflower seeds), varnish, brushes, red ribbon

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  Brightly Shining Stars

  What you need:

  round cookie cutter, pencil, yellow

  construction paper, safety scissors, star cookie cutter,

  glue stick, transparent paper, glitter, red ribbon

  Take the round cookie cutter, and with the

  pencil, trace it on yellow construction paper.

  Cut out the shape with safety scissors.

  Using the other cookie cutter, trace a star

  in the center of the yellow circle.

  Cut out the star with the safety

  scissors. The circle should now

  have a star-shaped hole in its center.

  Use a glue stick to apply the transparent paper

  behind the circle and cut out the excess paper

  around it. On the right side, carefully apply glue on

  the transparent paper, and sprinkle glitter over the hollow star.

  Ask an adult to make a hole at the top

  of the decoration. Thread a red ribbon

  through the hole, make a loop, and hang it

  on your Christmas tree.

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  Take the cylinder and cut 2-inch rings

  from it with the safety scissors. Cut as

  many as you can from one cylinder.

  With the zigzag scissors, cut the

  red felt into 3-inch-wide strips. Glue

  them around the cardboard rings.

  With the zigzag scissors, cut the

  green felt into 1-inch-wide strips. Make

  sure to cut the felt long enough to wrap

  completely around the tube. Glue the

  strips around the middle of the red

  felt on the cardboard rings.

  With the safety scissors, cut hearts from

  the red felt. Glue them on the center of

  the green felt strip on each ring.

  Christmas Napkin Holders

  What you need:

  a cardboard cylinder (you can use

  a paper towel or wrapping paper roll), ruler, safety

  scissors, zigzag scissors, red felt, glue, green felt

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  Draw a Christmas tree on green

  construction paper. Use the

  safety scissors to cut around the

  tree.

  With your silver

  or gold pen, write the name of

  a guest and a little message on

  every tree. For example, I love you very

  much! Or, You are sweeter than

  a cheesecake!

  Fold the trunk

  of the tree to

  make a stand, as shown.

  Jolly Tree Place Cards

  What you need:

  green construction paper, pencil,

  safety scissors, gold or silver pens

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  With the paintbrush, paint the cardboard box

  and lid blue.

  Take the tracing paper and trace the

  reindeer on the right with the pencil. Trace

  the Christmas tree from the previous page

  as well. Transfer them to white construction

  paper or computer paper.

  Carefully cut out the reindeer and the tree

  with the safety scissors. Do this without cutting

  from the edge of the paper. You may need to

  fold the paper to do this. Discard the deer and

  tree and keep the hollowed paper.

  Lay the hollowed paper with the deer

  outline on top of the cardboard box. Take

  a sponge, dip it in the red paint, and use it

  to color the inside of the deer outline.

  What you need:

  tracing paper, pencil, white construction paper or

  computer paper, safety scissors, a cardboard box, two sponges,

  red, green, blue, and white paint, thin paintbrush, varnish

  A Christmas Box

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  Take the outline of the tree

  and place it on the side of

  the box. Dip the other sponge

  into the green paint and use it

  to color the inside of the tree

  outline.

  With the paintbrush and the white

  paint, make lots of small dots

  around the reindeer and the trees.

  These should look like snow!

  When the colors have dried

  thoroughly, brush the entire

  box with varnish and let

  it dry thoroughly.

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  Christmas Cookies

  What you need:

  4 cups all-purpose flour

  1 cup butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

  3-quart mixing bowl

  wooden spoon

  1 cup sugar

  grated lemon peel from one large lemon

  pinch salt

  4 large egg yolks

  1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

  plastic wrap

  star-shaped cookie cutter

  flour for work surface

  rolling pin

  cookie sheet

  plastic bags

  colored ribbon

  ASK AN ADULT TO

  HELP YOU!

  Ask an adult to preheat the oven to 400°F.

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  Place flour and butter in the 3-quart mixing bowl.

  Using fingertips, rub the flour and butter together

  until the mixture resembles crumbly, coarse

  cornmeal. Stir in sugar, grated lemon peel, and salt.

  Make a well, or hole, in the center of

  the flour mixture. Place the egg yolks

  and vanilla into the well. Using your

  fingertips, quickly and evenly mix dough

  together. Shape dough into a smooth ball.

  Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap.

  Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to use.

  Divide the dough into two balls. Work with one ball

  at a time. Keep the remaining ball chilled.

  Using a rolling pin, roll the ball of dough

  out on a lightly floured surface. Using

  the star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out

  twelve cookies. Transfer to the cookie sheet.

  Ask an adult to place the cookie sheet in the

  preheated oven and bake for approximately 10

  to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.

  Ask an adult to remove from the

  oven, and let the cookies cool.

  Repeat to make more cookies. Put

  some cookies into each plastic bag

  and close it with a bright ribbon.

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  My Christmas Book

  Create a special book where you can write how, where,

  and with whom you spend Christmas Day each year.

  What you need:

  red construction paper, a large

  notebook, pencil, safety scissors, glue, different

  colored felt-tip pens

  Place a sheet of red construction

  paper on top of an opened

  notebook cover. With a pencil,

  trace the outline of the notebook. Cut out

  the shape of the notebook with your safety scissors.

  Glue it on to the cover of the notebook. Be sure the

  entire notebook, front and back, is covered with the red

  construction paper.

  On the cover, write the title of the book with

  your favorite color felt-tip pen: My Christmas

  Book. Use your imagination to decorate it. You

  may draw on it or cut out Christmas symbols or

  pictures and glue them on the cover.

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  My Christmas

  Book

  Fill out the book by writing your feelings,

  funny happenings, Christmas menu, etc. Glue in

  photos, drawings, Christmas cards, and anything

  that will remind you of the past Christmas.

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  With

  .....................

  ...........................

  ...........................

  We played

  .............

  ...........................

  ...........................

  The best part was

  .......................

  .....................

  ....................

  At ......................

  .................

  ’s house

  Year ...................

  M

  y

  F

  a

  m

  i

  l

  y

  Celebrating it with the people you love!

  Spending more time with whoever needs it the most!

  Making someone who feels alone happy!

  Giving up something in order to give it to others!

  Thinking about things that are important in life!

  Learning to dream with your eyes open!

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  *

  *

  *

  *

  *

  The Real Christmas

  Spirit Is...

  The Christmas spirit should stay

  in your heart all year long....

  Act as if it were Christmas

  every day!

  Born in New Mouse City, Mouse

  Island,

  GERONIMO STILTON

  is

  Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic

  Literature and of Neo-Ratonic

  Comparative Philosophy. For the

  past twenty years, he has been

  running The Rodent’s Gazette, New Mouse City’s

  most widely read daily newspaper.

  Stilton was awarded the Ratitzer Prize for his

  scoops on The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid and

  The Search for Sunken Treasure. He has also

  received the Andersen 2000 Prize for Personality of

  the Year. One of his bestsellers won the 2002 eBook

  Award for world’s best ratlings’ electronic book. His

  works have been published all over the globe.

  In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique

  cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most

  enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.

  A

  BOUT THE

  A

  UTHOR

  1. Main entrance

  2. Printing presses (where the books

  and newspaper are printed)

  3. Accounts department

  4. Editorial room (where the editors,

  illustrators, and designers work)

  5. Geronimo Stilton’s office

  6. Helicopter landing pad

  THE RODENT'S

  GAZETTE

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  R

  O

  D

  E

  N

  T

  R

  I

  V

  E

  R

  B

  e

  a

  c

  h

  1. Industrial Zone

  2. Cheese Factories

  3. Angorat International

  Airport

  4. WRAT Radio and

  Television Station

  5
. Cheese Market

  6. Fish Market

  7. Town Hall

  8. Snotnose Castle

  9. The Seven Hills of

  Mouse Island

  10. Mouse Central Station

  11. Trade Center

  12. Movie Theater

  13. Gym

  14. Catnegie Hall

  15. Singing Stone Plaza

  16. The Gouda Theater

  17. Grand Hotel

  18. Mouse General Hospital

  19. Botanical Gardens

  20. Cheap Junk for Less

  (Trap’s store)

  21. Aunt Sweetfur and

  Benjamin’s House

  22. Mouseum of

  Modern Art

  23. University and Library

  24. The Daily Rat

  25. The Rodent’s Gazette

  26. Trap’s House

  27. Fashion District

  28. The Mouse House

  Restaurant

  29. Environmental

  Protection Center

  30. Harbor Office

  31. Mousidon Square

  Garden

  32. Golf Course

  33. Swimming Pool

  34. Tennis Courts

  35. Curlyfur Island

  Amousement Park

  36. Geronimo’s House

  37. Historic District

  38. Public Library

  39. Shipyard

  40. Thea’s House

  41. New Mouse Harbor

  42. Luna Lighthouse

  43. The Statue of Liberty

  44. Hercule Poirat’s Office

  45. Petunia Pretty Paws’s

  House

  46. Grandfather William’s

  House

  Map of New Mouse City

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  Cat’s

  Claw

  Bay

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  This way

  to the Mousific

  Ocean

  This way

  to the

  Ratlantic Ocean

  This way to the Sea of Mice

  This way to the Rodent Straits

  Stray

  Cat

  Harbor

  Furflung Island

  Hamster Islands

  C

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  a

  l

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