Sunday, 7 November 2021

Sunday Funday by Katherine Halligan and Jesús Verona

                                                                          Link to publisher

                                                  Published by: Nosy Crow, October 2021

                                                                            👍👍👍👍👍

Nosy Crow do a corking range of non-fiction books for children and families. Only a couple of weeks ago, we reviewed A History of the World in 25 Cities, which has now been shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2021 and now we have spent the weekend excitedly looking at nature activities we can do across the coming year. 

'Make every Sunday a fun day with an amazing nature activity for every weekend of the year!' From gardening to crafts to baking and sporting activities, Sunday Funday is packed with 52 fantastic suggestions of how to make the most of your family time. 

Just like A History of the World in 25 Cities, this hardback book is beautifully presented with a colourful, engaging cover and stunning endpapers. It's a coffee table book for kids and a resource they will enjoy diving into again and again. We loved how the 52 activities are divided into seasons, with something for every type of weather day, and how, in a world full of screens and gadgets, every suggestion encourages us to engage with the natural world via all of our senses. There's a 'Noisy Nature Concert' for sound, 'Spectacular Sandcastles' for touch, 'Splendid Soup' and 'Toasty Cinnamon Stars' for taste and smell and 'Inspect an Insect' for sight. That's just to name just a few!

The pages for each individual activity are a joy to look at. The colourful backgrounds and exquisite illustrations are completely absorbing and we really enjoyed that the artwork is given equal or more page space than the actual words. It is likely that the instructions will need to be read to younger children, which places the emphasis firmly on that family feel, but they are easy to follow and supported by the 'You Will Need' boxes. The baking recipes have a clear cooking time and state the number of portions it will make. There's also 'Safety Tip' boxes and a short introductory paragraph for each activity. We also wanted to draw attention to the season title pages because it is here that the illustrations really take your breath away. Even if you never actually do any of the suggested activities in this book (which I'm sure you will as they are truly lovely) this book is just a feast for the eyes. 

This is a book that will never date. If the kids get too old to engage with the activities (I don't feel too old!), there's no doubt that they'll still get pleasure out of helping a younger family member. What's more, the activities will bring the whole family together: parents, grandparents, cousins... you name it! There really is something for everyone. 

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