Allow me to gush.
This is a WONDERFUL new book for boys of all ages and their parents. For starters, it's gorgeous to look at and hold in your hands. If you grew up in a house full of musty old books with cloth covers, as I did, just holding this book in your hands is a visceral pleasure.
When I handed it over to my 9 year old male test subject, he too seemed to instinctively love the heft and feel of this lovely book. Then he opened the cover, and his head stayed buried in it for the next 30 minutes.
When he emerged from his initial perusal, he proclaimed it to be "the best book ever." With short chapters on everything from how to safely get your pocketknife onto an airplane (he's very into pocketknives these days) to how to build a treehouse, the book is tailormade for a little boy's interests. He told me he can't wait to read the parts about how to play poker, how to fireproof cloth, and how to make a pinhole projecter. I know he will also enjoy the true tales of daring and adventure included in the book.
I will write a more complete review of the book as we have more time to dig into it (it just arrived yesterday), but I can tell you already that this book is about to become my staple gift for all little boys, as well as baby showers where boys are expected.
An instant classic.
4 comments:
It sounds interesting, although based on the info on Amazon, I'm not sure why it isn't called "The Dangerous Book for Kids."
Aside from the section titled "Girls", the topics seem pretty universal to me.
oh just what we need: info out there so terrorists can figure out how to get their knives on planes.
Looks interesting. One of my favorite books as a lad was a musty old 1930's Boy Scout Handbook, which seemed to cover similar territory.
Have memory of how I got it. Or what's become of it.
In cleaning out bookshelves today, I came across a 1956 book titled "The Project Book for Boys and Girls" that includes:
- knot-tying
- sign language
- codes, and how to make a code machine
- science experiments
- how to mark a trail while hiking
- how to make a walkie-talkie
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