Dr. Bob's Instant Ring Juggling Book

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Bob Woodburn is a speaker and consultant who utilizes juggling in his
motivational workshops and sessions with groups and companies. This
book, which is accompanied by three colored plastic rings, shows readers
how to learn to juggle rings in “four easy steps.” Although the
title’s claims of “instant” is perhaps overly optimistic, most
readers ages 8 and up should at least be able to master these basic
stages and arrive at the foundational “cascade pattern.”

The instructions leading to the cascade occupy only six pages. The rest
of the book provides directions on performing some 50 tricks with
enticing names like “knee bumps,” “heli fingers,” “hair
raiser,” and “flips.” An icon is used to indicate whether tricks
are “easy” or “hard.” The clearly written step-by-step
instructions are complemented by black-and-white cartoonlike
illustrations. Distributed throughout the book are “Dr. Bob’s Tricky
Tips.”

Although more obviously a personal-purchase title, this book could be a
welcome addition to libraries if they could solve the problem of keeping
track of the rings. Recommended.