Activities and Information to Entertain Children

The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Daring Book for Girls

Oct 1, 2008

In recent times there has been renewed interest in the children's activity books of the past. These are the books that inspired the trend.

In 2006 The Dangerous Book for Boys (HarperCollins, 2006) by Conn and Hal Iggulden appeared on the market, inviting boys to explore their world with games, activities, projects and fun facts. In its wake have arrived international adaptations and a companion book for girls The Daring Book for Girls (Collins, 2007) by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz.

Popular Children’s Activity Books

HarperCollins Australia Publishing Director Shona Martyn believes that the appeal of The Dangerous Book for Boys and by association The Daring Book for Girls lies in the unpretentious origins of the idea. “The idea for The Dangerous Book for Boys didn’t originate in a marketing meeting. It came from the desire of Conn and Hal Iggulden to capture something of their childhood. The purity of their idea and their desire to reflect on a simpler time is a large part of the attraction of the books.”

The vision of Conn and Hal Iggulden was to offer children a balanced mix of adventure, activities and information. Both the Dangerous and Daring books offer quick bites of information on a variety of subjects including history, astronomy, geography, sport, language, biology and politics. Activities include crafts, sports, games, pen and paper games, magic tricks and puzzles.

This mixture of facts and fun is part of what helps the books to appeal to such a large audience. Whether sports, history, science, craft or language is the primary interest of a child, there is something in these books to capture their interest. While reading up on their favourite subjects, they will also get the opportunity to learn something new about other topics and activities.

Didgeridoo Instructions for Girls

The recent release of an Australian edition of The Daring Book for Girls (Harper Collins, 2008) grabbed media attention for including instructions on how to play the didgeridoo. In some Australian Aboriginal communities it is taboo for women to play or even touch a didgeridoo and as such, it was felt that inclusion of such instructions in a book targeting girls was insensitive and inappropriate.

While it is true that some Aboriginal communities have strict restrictions on women handling didgeridoos, many others do not place any limitations and even hold didgeridoo lessons for both women and men. In response to the concerns of members of the Aboriginal community, however, HarperCollins issued an apology and future reprints will not include the didgeridoo instructions.

Are these Books Really “Dangerous” and “Daring”?

A recent review of the Australian version of The Daring Book for Girls questioned the suitability of the word “daring”. It was felt that the inclusion of such a word implied an adventure book while these volumes are more a collection of general knowledge and how-to tips.

In response, Ms Martyn emphasises that the books are not adventure books but rather encourage an adventurous spirit of enquiry. “The books are designed to dip in and out of. They offer opportunities to try new things and experiences. It’s not about doing dangerous things. It’s about being given an opportunity to try something new.”

Encouraging Kids and Teens to Have Fun

The Dangerous and Daring books are not intended as serious instruction manuals for life. They won’t single-handedly reverse the trend for children to stay inside playing electronic or computer games nor solve the problem of childhood obesity.

They do, however, achieve their primary objective – offering children 8 years and over, teens and adults an opportunity to reflect on the simple pleasures of years ago, to learn something new and to have some fun. They are ideal Christmas and birthday presents and if left lying about on the coffee table are sure to entertain anyone who picks them up.

The Dangerous Book for Boys (Australian Edition) (ISBN: 0-7322-8635-2, 294 pages)

The Daring Book for Girls (Australian Edition) (ISBN: 978-0-7322-8793-1, 279 pages)

The copyright of the article Activities and Information to Entertain Children in Children's Non-Fiction is owned by Susan Whelan. Permission to republish Activities and Information to Entertain Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.