Daring Book for Girls Review.

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Recently I was given a copy of “The Daring Book for Girls” and asked to review it here on my blog.

I was worried in the days leading up to the book’s arrival – worried that it would be horribly “girly” and that I’d have a big ol’ list of complaints to note. I do not approve, generally, of gender-segregated books. Girls need to know the same things boys need to know and vice versa!

But since MotherTalk prefers honest reviews in place of “thanks for the great free book it was just wonderful!” reviews, I figured I was covered. If it sucked, I’d just tell you that it sucked and we could all move on.

On a sidenote: I do have a copy of the Dangerous Book for Boys and I think it’s totally amazing. Chock full of interesting games, tips, life skills, secret codes, educational bits and, in short, very much worth adding to a bookshelf. I had assumed it would be used by our kids regardless of their gender. And then the Daring Book for Girls came on the market.

Physically speaking, The Daring Book for Girls is robin’s egg blue (see picture above) with sparkly letters – and it’s a hardcover (which I approve of wholeheartedly given the content). This is a book that won’t fall apart when it’s tossed on a counter or floor while a new skill or trick is being tried for the first time.

And oh, you’ll want to toss it around while you’re experimenting with things like playing Darts, putting your hair into a ponytail using a pencil (a skill that I have used endless times while working in an office, I might add), learning basic First Aid, making Cootie Catchers and perfecting five karate moves.

If I could afford it, I’d buy a copy of this book for every single person I know. Girls, boys, women, men.. Everyone. And I’d pair it with the Dangerous Book for Boys simply because it makes for even MORE fabulousness when you can scan through both of them together.

In the Daring Book for Girls, there’s a history of famous woman inventors and scientists, some bios of real-life princesses (who, for the most part, do not wear pink sparkly dresses and tiaras all day long) and there’s even a section about women spies. SPIES! Excellent role models and nothing Disney-related in sight!

Then come details of how to build a fort, how to make the perfect snowball and how to play a variety of games and sports – from Jacks to hiking and paddling a canoe.

And ohmygod, there’s even a section on negotiating a salary. Seriously. Whether that’s your first babysitting salary or your first ‘real job’ salary, it’s a crucial skill for anyone to have.

Perhaps you’d like to take up bird watching but don’t know how? Or maybe you’d like to know how to read a tide chart (and no, we’re not talking about the laundry detergent here..)? Maybe you didn’t even KNOW you wanted to know these things but now? Now you DO.

Got five minutes? Learn to tie some knots.

Got a week? Learn some facts and then head off to Africa.

Got a month? Take up bird-watching and start a life list!

This book is totally awesome. Just overwhelmingly fabulous and every fear I had about gender bias or girls-vs-boys disappeared the moment I read the table of contents. And while it’s called The Daring Book for Girls, it’s also a fabulous book for WOMEN. And for MEN. And for BOYS.

I can’t wait to explore – in some cases, for the very first time! – some of the activities tucked within the pages once our kids have arrived. Fun fun FUN! It’s like reliving my days in Girl Guides, my childhood in the middle of nowhere and re-finding my curiousity all wrapped into one sparkly book.

The book gets an Honest-to-Goddess A+ rating from me.

You can buy the book from Amazon or your local bookseller. And you can visit the web site for the book by clicking here.

As the site says:

For every girl with an independent spirit, here is the guide to everything from school yard games to great women in history! The Daring Book for Girls is the essential manual for everything that girls need to know—and that doesn’t mean sewing buttonholes! Whether readers consider themselves girly-girls, brainiacs, athletes, or a little bit of everything, this book is the girl’s invitation to 21st century adventure.