Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Dangerous Book for Boys

What a joy it is to have my Mother-in-Law intuitively know what is the perfect Christmas gift! She asked for a wishlist, and I gladly submitted one (a bit late, though). Much to her glee, she had already purchased for me the book at the top of my list! What is that book?

The Dangerous Book for Boys, written by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden, two British brothers who discovered the wonder and marvel of long Sunday afternoons and imagination. I wanted this tome of danger for me and my boys - a book to spark ideas for adventure and long-marches of discovery.

What makes this book so dangerous? It unleashes a boys sense of wonder - and helps potentially helpful skills like: how to skin a rabbit, how to tan a hide, how to navigate by the stars, how to build a tree-fort, how to make a cipher, how to speak Navajo code-talk, and more! It also includes histories of famous battles, the basics of artillery, and stories of daring adventurers. Not to mention short articles on proper grammar and how to be polite to girls.

The book is designed for boys who are eight through eighty. Hopefully in the next three years I can master some of the dangerous skills, enough to whet the appetite of my three boys, two of whom will be five soon.

No comments: