Bookmas
manga character design; ADHD guide; unofficial LEGO ideabook; Minecraft mobs; farm curious; weekly news
Hello Raisers-of-radical-readers,
No theme this time, and no rant. Briefly, for your panic shopping or just cozy winter consideration, here is a VERY motley assortment of our recent favorites…
For the kid who loves drawing and manga…
Fantasy Costumes for Manga, Anime, & Cosplay
2023, Junka Morozumi and Tomomi Mizuna
Prime ages: Tween and up
Tuttle publishes a vast selection of manga drawing books. The handful I’ve leafed through have a format very similar to this one. These are not instructional, but more like visual references. My list-and-character-design-obsessed tween has really latched on to the style mash-up format throughout this book. They often ask me to brainstorm with them when we are out walking or running errands: “Mom, what’s your idea for a school uniform that is garden themed?” “What kind of backpack would a time-traveling fairy need?” It’s a fun non-competitive sort-of-game that gives us a chance to talk about a whole host of seemingly unrelated topics.
For the family navigating ADHD…
The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD
2006, John F. Taylor
Prime ages: 8-12
This book is written to kids, in language appropriate for middle-grade and older, with support from parents. The attitude is totally non-judgemental, empathetic, direct, and action-oriented. The chapters are all highly digestible, and include many sub-headings and bold call-outs, so it is also very easy to browse. There are also several planning and measuring pages to help with tracking. So far, this is the most useful resource for kids I’ve bought on the topic even though it’s quite old now.
For the riffing LEGO-builder…
The LEGO Technic Idea Book: Wheeled Wonders
2011, Yoshihito Isogawa
Prime ages: 7+
This is part of a series of super minimalist, unofficial guides that illustrate builds for different types of mechanisms. There are no steps shown, unlike traditional LEGO manuals, but the builds are photographed from every angle, and the brick colors are selected to highlight the size of each piece. The way my brain works, I have to flip back to the Table of Contents to figure out what each model is demonstrating. But this is perfect for my 8-yo whose visual perception and spatial reasoning are exceptionally strong.
For the block-worlder…
Minecraft Mobestiary
2017, Anton Stenvall and Alex Wiltshire
Prime ages: 7+
My 8-yo says: “It goes into really close detail into basically all of the Minecraft mobs. Mobs are the monsters of Minecraft. There are hostile mobs and neutral mobs. Hostile ones attack you when you don’t do anything. The non-hostile ones either don’t attack you or only attack you if you do something. I like that the book goes into real close detail. It tells you how to fight, what their habitats are, their power, how to summon them, how to deal with spawners. I use it for browsing, but it’s good for searching too.”
For the aspirational farmer…
Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Country Life
2011, Julia Rothman
Prime ages: 7-11
We live a very urban existence in a city, but the kids love spending time with animals, and we have flirted with the idea of moving to a less urban setting. This book has supported the kids curiosity about farm life, and has inspired us to take more weekend trips to the country, visiting parks that have farm programs we can observe and participate in. No idea if we’ll ever leave the city, but I could imagine maybe doing a backyard chicken coop. Stay tuned for more books on that topic soon.
For keeping up with the news…
The Week Junior
weekly physical magazine
Prime ages: 8-14
[website]
This is our only kids’ magazine subscription right now, and it is fantastic! In addition to national and global news, it also includes sections on animals, science and technology, sports, arts and entertainment, books, puzzles and games, as well as seasonal activity instructions. Our 8-yo has often brought our copy to school to read during down-time, and the teacher has been impressed with it as well. We’re in year two of our subscription, and I have no plans to stop anytime soon.
Roundups coming soon (meaning sometime next year) on these topics…
words and writing
rocks
yokai
chickens
neurodiversity
Future issues will include more ranting. FOR SURE. For now though, be safe and be loved.