A serviceable assortment of activities that can be done year-round.
An activity for each weekend of the year will keep kids busy crafting, cooking, gardening, and exploring, either by themselves or with family or friends.
While the activities aren’t one-offs that can’t be found in other books, the collection’s strengths are its wide range of pursuits, its four-season focus, and the varying time investments of the different activities (from minutes to months). Busy weekend? How about practicing a few yoga poses or making grilled cheese or smoothies? Wide-open calendar? You might break ground and plant seeds for a nature fort or make quiche (with homemade crust!). But the book’s weaknesses are also numerous. Many of the pursuits require access to green space where things can be planted, picked, or composted, leaving out those living in cities and/or rentals. The directions are not always easy to understand or illustrated in the pictures—many just show final results. Grown-ups are enlisted to handle hot and sharp things and supervise around water, but this isn’t always noted for each activity or shown in the art. And rarely are kids told how to identify/avoid poisonous flowers or plants. Verona’s digital illustrations are notable both for the seasonal signs and colors of nature they include and for the diversity of the cast in terms of race, age, and ability.
A serviceable assortment of activities that can be done year-round. (table of contents, tools and materials, safety tips, index) (Activity book. 4-10)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2748-2
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
A breath of fresh air.
Author Willey brings years of experience in children’s music and movement to her debut.
The book is divided into five sections (“Be Calm,” “Focus,” “Imagine,” “Make Some Energy,” and “Relax”), which are further sectioned into double-page-spread subtopics. Each spread includes one or two breath-centered exercises to encourage a habit and practice of mindfulness. Most, but not all, include references to wild animals and nature that are sure to appeal to young children. They are encouraged to use their imaginations as launch pads for being present: “Imagine you’re a cloud in the sky” and “Imagine you’re a sleepy lion, just waking up in the morning” are typical. The exercises are brief and excellent for short attention spans, though some offer opportunities for extension through pacing. The instructional text is simple enough for fluent readers to use in self-guided practice, though each exercise likely works best as a read-aloud. Betts accompanies each exercise with charming illustrations featuring foxes, elephants, fanciful clouds, and, of course, bears. This friendly book is sure to appeal to educators and caregivers looking for an accessible and kid-friendly introduction to mindfulness.
A breath of fresh air. (Nonfiction. 4-10)Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62336-885-2
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
This carefully thought-out explanation may surprise but should be widely appreciated.
Moving up in target audience from their explanation of reproduction, What Makes a Baby (2013), Silverberg and Smyth explore various meanings for the word “sex.”
In their own ways, Zai, Cooper, Mimi, and Omar respond to information in chapters about bodies, “Boys, Girls, All of Us,” touch, language, and “Crushes, Love, and Relationships.” With skin tones in unlikely shades (blue! purple! green!) and wildly diverse crowd scenes, chances are good that any reader can identify with someone in these pages. Refreshingly, these crowds are diverse in a way that does not appear assembled by checklist. Lively design, bright, clashing colors, cartoon-style illustrations, comic strips, and plenty of humor support the informal, inclusive approach. Each chapter ends with questions to think and talk about. The author’s respect for different approaches to the subject comes through. No actual sexual activities are described except for masturbation, in the chapter that also deals with “secret touches.” The gender chapter tells how gender is assigned but notes “there are more than two kinds of bodies.” The character Zai doesn’t identify as either boy or girl. Illustrations show body parts of kids and grown-ups (nipples, breasts, bottoms, and parts biologically specific to boys or girls) demonstrating wide variety. Puberty will be addressed in a third title.
This carefully thought-out explanation may surprise but should be widely appreciated. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60980-606-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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