The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden
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Book Reviews of The Dangerous Book for Boys
Book Review: Having just finished Boys Adrift (another book), this one was a MUST!
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the points made in a recent book I read, Boys Adrift, is that boys today don't have enough opportunities to get out there and experience the world first-hand, explore nature and..yes...take on some risk. I'd strongly suggest reading that book as well as this one.
After reading The Dangerous Book for Boys, my son actually got the concept of the Prime Meridian and other information that he couldn't understand simply from reading a book. He had to have a context, a perpective and, in some cases, real experience. Another example: it is quite one thing to READ about bows and arrows and another to build and use them.
For those protective parents out there, you can get some reassurance from the fact that there are some cautions and you, of course, can monitor the activities - although I prefer to join in the play. This is a refreshing alternative to so many of the other options available for boys today. As the first book I noted indicated, boys are not reading much these days.
This book should counterbalance that and be a great temptation for boys and impossible to put down, except to try out the various suggestions for fun! I can testify that when one of my sons saw it, he immediately started gathering materials to build a treehouse.
Book Review: A Boy's Tree House (shared with older sis)
Summary: 5 Stars
I did a project from the book with my nephew. We built the Tree House as featured in the book (but made it a bit larger). My children are grown and on their own. Thus the chance to do something, actually build something, with my nephew was pure pleasure. Things in this book need to be taken as a chance to learn, then teach, and grow. We looked at the tree house, the trees available in the yard, the neighbors and their view of the tree house, youthful expectations, the weight of support boards, how high the ladders go, etc. We shaped dreams into reality without dashing the dreams. Get the lad to carry (with assistance and safety) a 2x6x 8FT board up a ladder 10-12 feet and they get a quick grasp of "just how high it really is" reality.
This book lead us to come up with alternative designs and features such as a zip line and study the Pythagorean theorem (he wanted to consider diagonal flooring). We had so much fun that Mom had to get involved; but she's from the same stock as I so there are no surprises there. A good kid with this book and a nurturing adult can build an empire and both can learn how it is done in the process.
Buy this book!
P.S. Now that the tree house is done, his older Sister thinks it is pretty cool too.
Book Review: Boys just wanna Have Fun
Summary: 5 Stars
Remember the classic days when tanning skins, playing chess, and archery were naturally part of a boy's education? Welcome back!
This cool book has everything from tying knots to survival tips, instructions for "marbling paper" (a gorgeous and artistic project I didn't even know an average person could do), how to play poker, and even a few naughty projects to do when you're bored in school. There are also geographic, historical, and even grammar tips for boys; just about anything a boy could need to know is in here. While not all of these things would be fun for me personally, I can tell just reading this book will be a blast in itself and make it hard for me to sit still.
Just as a minor note: this book is NOT sexist. Only a few people have claimed this, but it's still ridiculous. The title says "For boys", not "ONLY for Boys". What do you think the author's going to do, guard the bookstores to make sure no female buys it? I'm a woman and I'm getting it; moreover, I'm the equivalent of a first-wave feminist and I don't mind the title in the least. I've always wanted sons and I can't wait to share this book with them when I do have them.
But until then, it's all mine! :)
Book Review: Nostalgia and Curiosity
Summary: 5 Stars
"I didn't have this book when I was a boy" write the authors. There used to be more time back then. There used to be those Sunday afternoons and long summers. They can still be long if you know how to look at them ... with the curiosity of a boy.
First you need the essential gear. You gotta have a Swiss Army knife, a compass (not a GPS!), a box of matches, a small flashlight, some fishhooks, some other stuff, and a shooter. That's your favorite big marble.
You gotta know how to make paper airplanes of various kinds, how to make the five basic knots, how to make a battery from everyday items, how to build a treehouse, and how to make a bow and arrow.
You gotta know the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, what longitude and latitude are, how to tell the age of a tree, the most famous military battles of all time, and all sorts of things about dinosaurs.
It all sounds like so much fun. And there's so much more. The book concludes with one more charming feature. At the end of the book are boys' badges to reward yourself. A search of the present medium will lead to a page where you can see them.
Book Review: Every boy (and girl) should have this book!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a truly wonderful book this is. In a day when boys and girls are sheltered and chaperoned almost continuously, many childhood experiences, like building a go-cart, are gone for many children; so is much basic survival information, poetry, and history that children learned in earlier generations.
This book has a little of everything, from Lincoln's Gettysburg address to Navajo Code Talkers in WWII to the Naval Flag Alphabet (also used in aviation) to making a basic battery and learning Morse Code. Stories of men like Wilbur and Orville Wright and John Falcon Scott and the poetry of Shakespeare, Frost and Longfellow are included, as are simple paper games, like Hangman.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, buying one for one grandchild's birthday and then another, and finally one for our own bookshelf. It's great for both boys and girls. How many of us can name cloud formations or the constellations? Most of us in our generation did learn these things. Can you still name all 50 states along with their capitals?
Every household should have a copy of this book. It's a great refresher course for us adults, too.
Carolyn Rowe Hill