Action Kids, Vol. 5

Claudia Cornwall was a Vancouver writer.

These two volumes are part of a series of five activity books. They contain thematic crossword puzzles, riddles, and ideas for games and projects. Activities like designing a kaleidoscope or making modelling dough are described, and most require fairly simple materials. There are facts about diverse subjects (inventors, flies, autumn leaves), various bits of trivia (about baseball, about how cornflakes are used to make artificial snow in the movies), and tips about such things as bike maintenance and swimming safety. There are also suggestions about how to cope with more difficult problems, like nervousness on the first day of school or feeling blue.

These books would probably amuse children on a rainy day on when they are sick in bed. The fact that there are no answers to the crossword puzzles might annoy some. I am not convinced that the suggestions about how to cope with psychological problems are helpful. A child who is really blue will probably not be helped much by putting a smile on his on her face any more than an adult would be!