Books to Read...When You Need a New Hobby

As I scroll through Pinterest, I am always so amazed at everyone's creativity. I often find myself thinking, "Wow! I wish I could make something like that!" The truth is, if I stopped wishing and actually tried to make something, I could probably create something pretty cool. Here are some books to inspire you to pick up a new hobby and become a maker.

Collage Workshop for Kids: Rip, Snip, Cut, and Create with Inspiration from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

By Shannon Merenstein

Quarry Books, 2018. Informational. 152 pages.

This book encourages children to use all types of materials to make collages. You can use paper, fabric, wood, pom poms, stickers, yarn, cardboard, tissue paper, etc. This is such a fun art medium because you can get creative with whatever you already have on hand. This book walks you through workshops to try out different collage techniques.

Making Memories: Practice Mindfulness. Learn to Journal and Scrapbook. Find Calm Every Day.

Written by Amy Tangerine

Illustrated by Tracey English

DK Publishing, 2022. Informational. 47 pages.

Reading this book is just as relaxing as the title suggests it will be. It walks you through several crafts that are focused on mindfulness like making mindmaps, vision boards, an emotion wheel, and journaling. If you're looking for a hobby that will enrich your life, then this is the book for you.

Super Simple Sumi-e: Easy Asian Brush Painting for All Ages

By Yvonne Palka

Little Bigfoot, an imprint of Sasquatch Books, 2018. Informational. 39 pages.

Sumi-e is the Japanese art of ink painting. This book shows how to make all different strokes. Even a very beginner could combine the various strokes to make something beautiful.

The Paper Playhouse: Awesome Art Projects for Kids Using Paper, Boxes, and Books

By Katrina Rodabaugh

Quarry Books, 2015. Informational. 144 pages.

The aesthetic of this book is absolutely inspiring. The craft ideas range from simply making a paper garland to more complex projects like a lemonade stand. You don't need fancy paper or supplies to do these projects either. You can use supplies like old book pages, junk mail, and past calendars to make really amazing things!

Sticks and Stones: A Kid's Guide to Building and Exploring the Great Outdoors

By Melissa Lennig

Quarry Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2019. Informational. 141 pages.

Sticks and stones is all about using nature to create. These ideas can be used in your backyard or on your next camping trip. You can make fun things like cairns, stamps from leaves, and a tiny log cabin. This book will get you outside and inspire you to create!

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Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Enigma Girls

The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

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