In honor of my husband’s birthday, I just have to share with you these two go-to books that provide (almost) instant, fool-proof birthday party action. Actually, I’ve been known to bring out these books just for kicks.

Face Painting

by Klutz

Spiral-bound: 58 pages

Publisher: Klutz (August 1, 2007)

Source: Purchased

Pubisher’s synopsis: Face Painting has become a touchstone of Klutz appeal and quality. With 1.5 million copies sold, we thought nothing could surpass it — until now. This new edition has been completely revitalized, including new paints in bold, bright colors and easy-to-use tear-out cheat sheets. It’s the book that will launch a zillion more faces.

Add this book to your collection: Face Painting

Balloon Twisting

by Klutz

Spiral-bound: 58 pages

Publisher: Klutz (September 1, 2009)

Source: Publisher

Publisher’s synopsis: Balloon twisting is one of those impossible skills that turn out to be not so impossible after all. It’s downright easy, as a matter of fact. You just need the right materials, the right projects and the right teacher. Who better than the folks that brought you Face Painting? We consulted with several balloon twisting professionals (a bunch of clowns, if you want the truth) and narrowed their repertoires down to the ten coolest projects ever. These aren’t the same old static sculptures everyone’s seen a million times, but rather toys, hats, props and costume pieces that inspire imaginative play. Fairy wings, Viking helmets, magic wands… they’re all here, and they are all amazingly simple to make. 40 balloons in 8 colors give you plenty of practice material, and the included balloon pump is a life-saver. Like painting faces, twisting balloons makes you a hero, at least for an afternoon. There’s nothing more gratifying than hearing a kid breathe “”…awesome…”" while watching you do something. It’s a rare thrill, and it’s your free gift with every purchase of Balloon Twisting.

Add this book to your collection: Balloon Twisting

©2010 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

Super Simple Sewing

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 20 pages

Publisher: Chicken Socks; Pap/Toy edition (August 19, 2009)

I love activity books for many reasons. They often keep children busy, inspire creativity, refine different motor and cognitive skills, but the most clever of all is that they are the best form of reading trickery. In other words, kids who prefer to be busy with their hands will not even realize they are reading — provided the activity is one that they enjoy and that the instructions are not too difficult. This is where Chicken Socks, a collection of younger books by the Klutz team, comes in handy. The activities in the Chicken Socks collection are usually designed for 4 & up, and are well suited to less refined motor-skills and reading levels. Often with a little parental help, a 3-year-old will also have a lot of fun with these projects — I know from experience.

Super Simple Sewing is a neat little set of 4 sewing activities: purse, bracelet, bird, and a door tag. Each project comes with precut fabrics that have nicely sized perforations that are well spaced. The needle is large, plastic, and not sharp — perfect for small hands. The string is a good weight and thickness for beginning sewers, it threads easily and comes with snap together cord-catchers that cinch the string together, eliminating the need for any knot tieing. The instructions were brief and well illustrated. My daughter and I had a lot of fun working together, and the neat part was that everything we made (minus the door tag) fit right inside the little purse. Great for hand and eye co-ordination, plus lots of fun! Also works as a good travel activity.

©2010 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.