REVIEWED ... FUN READS

 







The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts ... by School Specialty Publishing

 

 

Open minds and build artistic skills with The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts for kindergarten to grade 4. Filled with fun activities like painting, sculpting, drama, music, and mixed material projects you can strengthen your child’s creativity and encourage independent learning. This comprehensive learning guide features easy-to-follow instructions and high-interest project ideas that will keep your child interested in the hands-on process.

The Complete Book series offers activities that encourage independent learning and support skill mastery in Spanish, handwriting, maps, geography, the alphabet, numbers, counting, time, money, and arts and crafts. Each subject-specific, comprehensive workbook engages children through focused instruction and fun activities with full-color photographs and illustrations that hold attention while children learn important concepts needed for school success!

OUR REVIEW

Linda     

Awesome crafts for grades K through 4 or even a bit higher. The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts has wonderful, colorful pictures explaining each project. I'm a helper in a First Grade class one day a week, and I teach simple and easy projects, so that's why this book jumped out at me.
 
I ended up not using most of these crafts since I can now find a lot of them online, but I'm glad I have it handy for those last minute projects that you need in a moments notice. Since our class is around 23-26 kids, and I think this book would be great for a smaller group of children.



                                         Amazon Review

Barbie: Four Decades of Fashion, Fantasy, and Fun ... by Marco Tosa

For anyone who loves Barbie and wants to know more, this illustrated biography tells the story of the doll's evolution into an icon of popular culture, beloved and avidly collected by children and adults alike. 
 
Conceived in 1959 as an "adult" doll to dress for every occasion, Barbie has since become a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. Illustrations reveal her many faces, styles, and incarnations, from the blonde, blue-eyed mainstay to the exotic dolls available around the world. Here too are her most glamorous costumes, and the real-life Hollywood stars-Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Vivien Leigh-and fashion designers-Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, and Bob Mackie-who inspired them.   Doll expert Marco Tosa presents a wealth of documentation, including a description of how the dolls are made, a family tree, a chart of the dolls' occupations, the dates of issue of each Barbie doll discussed, and photographs of original packaging. There is also a section on the forthcoming, more anatomically correct Barbie doll. Marco Tosa, a native of Genoa, Italy, teaches at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts. He is the author of several books on fashion and on the history and culture of dolls.
 

 

OUR REVIEW

 



Linda  (of course not!)

I received this absolutely beautiful Barbie: Four Decades of Fashion, Fantasy, and Fun by Marco Tosa from my girls at Christmas. I am a Barbie collector and found this book fascinating. It gives the history of the creation of the Barbie doll, as well as the transformation she has had over the years.

Did you know that in 1945 the birth of the toy company named "Mattel," stands for "Matt" for Mattson and "El" for Elliot, old friends who worked together in a garage converted into a small creative studio.

Not only does it contain amazing pictures, the history behind Barbie will rock your socks off!     

 

 

 

                                                                                            Amazon Review

 

 
 
 
 
Some of my collections: