First, let me say that I was incredibly excited to view this book, The Daring Book for Girls, by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. When I received it the turquoise cover reminded me of a book from the early part of the last century, but the glitter on the front cover makes it modern and appealing to girls today. The illustrations are beautiful and easy to follow. This is one quality book. When I opened it to take a look inside I realized that this tome surpasses even my best hopes for it. It is a veritable treasure trove of fun and useful information.
Being a shy only child I never asked questions about a lot of basic kid stuff. Half the time I didn’t even know which questions I wanted to ask and that was part of the problem. Upon reading ‘Daring’ I realized that many of my questions were now being answered right here in this book. Who are the players on the basketball team and what is their purpose? Got it! How do you play Foursquare? I never knew but I can teach it now! I was amazed at the plethora of information that I now possess as an adult. I can then pass it on to my daughter and her friends. Some of it was a nice review for me too. I reviewed my leaf types, got to relive all the chants and songs of jump rope (which I had forgotten) and the best way to build a campfire. All things I was taught as a young kid but haven’t revisited in quite some time.
It is not just the classic games and songs that I love about this book. It is so much more. The brief pieces on women in history appeal to me and will be great to share with my child as she grows. The women who are profiled are not the everyday trotted out women in history either. Buchanan and Peskowitz really dug in and provided a broad range of women like Freya Stark, Artemisia and more. ‘Daring’ is big and it covers a lot of ground. From writing the proper thank you note to powering a clock via lemon it has it all. I learned to tie knots and refreshed myself on how to change a tire. I can now teach the kids on the block how to do a back walk over again as well. I almost feel that ‘Daring’ should be a text book given to girls when they reach school age. They can carry it with them and share it with their friends absorbing the information and growing wiser and stronger because of it. Let’s face it. There is a lot to teach a child today and many times we forget some of the best parts from our own childhood. ‘Daring’ is a great reminder/refresher course for parents.
‘The Daring Book for Girls’ (for ages 8-18) is like an encyclopedia or a manual on finding yourself as a girl no matter what your age. If you are artistic, athletic, outdoorsy or bookish there is something that will speak to you in this book. Its wide range of topics will lure you in and teach you lessons in history, etiquette, forestry and art that you didn’t even know you needed but will soon realize you shouldn’t be without. Trying to figure out a way to explain stocks and shares? Read this book! Want to teach your daughter some self-defense and other life-saving skills? Buy this book! It is invaluable. I cannot wait to share it with my daughter as she grows. In the meantime I will be recommending it to the Mom’s of the young girls I know. There is truly something for everyone inside Daring’s pretty turquoise binding.
Act now in time for the holidays too! The Daring Book for Young Girls is for sale at Amazon for only $14.97! For more reviews on this book and other great items please visit PBN.
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