Review: Push Pin Art by Candy Berg

I'm doubling up the reads today because I have two books, which are perfect for the upcoming weeks. The first is an arts and crafts book for all ages. I remember doing push pin art as a kid but haven't seen it since...well, I guess Lite Bright is a type of push pin. Anyway, this is a series which has a book for all sorts of occasions. There's one for Spring (which we're looking at today), St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, and more.  

PUSH PIN ART PROJECTS

Spring

by Candy Berg

Children's Arts and Crafts

40 pages

ages 3 and up

Make Something Great and Have Fun With Your Kids or Grandkids
All you need it a thumbtack and paper!

Never be bored again.

This is a perfect project for a rainy day, a day with an inside recess, or just a day to have a little fun!

All ages from preschoolers to even middle schoolers have fun with this spring activity. Great for school parties and themed activities!

It's fun and easy to poke holes using a thumbtack. You can copy each page or tape the printed page to a sheet of construction paper. Once the entire image is punched, carefully remove the white paper to reveal a piece of art!

It takes little artistic skill to create a decoration while improving hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

WHY USE THIS BOOK?
★SAVE TIME – Forget scrolling through social media or blogs for ideas or ready-made images; one purchase and you are ready to go.
★LEARN THROUGH PLAY - You can spend any amount of time working on these projects. Your child will look forward to working on every project.
★GIVE YOUR CHILD A HEAD START – Improved fine motor skills help children write better and earlier. Finger strength directly contributes to their success and will help them feel confident!

WHAT IS IN THE BOOK?
✅ This book includes 20 different fun and unique images to do.
✅ Tailored for all ages, a variety of detailed images are included in every book.
✅ Little to no prep time for each project!
✅ Great for teachers looking to supplement their curriculum.

CAN A BUSY MOM USE THIS BOOK?
✅ YES! With little to no prep time to either tear out a page or copy and tape, these art activities are ready to do almost instantly.
✅ Depending on the skill level of the child, each activity can take between 10-20 minutes.
✅ Multiple children can work on a pushpin activity at the same time by sharing one paper or working on their own projects side by side.
✅ This is an easy way to learn, have fun and create something tangible.

EXCELLENT TEACHING RESOURCE
Follow the Montessori method? Our book provides hours of themed, hands-on activities through push pin poking art activities.
No more wasting time searching for age-appropriate and fun activities.

AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

With easy to do images, this is a fun collection of simple projects, just right for some quick fun.

This book is what it claims to be, a collection of images to be used as push pin art. This one holds 20 different pictures of things related to Spring: flowers, bugs, etc. Each one is created by evenly spaced dots, showing exactly where the push pin is to be used. These are no problem to use as they are, copy, or even print out, and each one is simple enough even for younger artists to use. The end results are nice, especially when used on top of colored construction paper as an overlay pattern. They definitely aren't anything which takes lots of prep time.

I was surprised that there aren't any directions inside the book, not that it's a difficult concept. Instead, it's a pure collection of templates/images for the push pin activities. They are well done and hold a wide enough variety so that children are sure to find more than one, which they would enjoy completing. It's great for a variety of age groups and can be used in several situations or settings. Even classrooms and homeschoolers will find enjoyment with this one.

Review: My Dad is a Russian Spy by Candy Berg

It's spy time in today's review and that for a picture book audience! It included imagination and reality in a lovely mix, and is sure to bring more than a smile or two.

Also, you might notice me mixing up things quite a bit from the announced plan the next week or so. There are some personal reasons for that, but all the books will be slipping in at one point or another. Just see it as a Halloween Trick-or-Treat surprise.

MY DAD IS A RUSSIAN SPY

by Candy Berg

Illustrated by Isabela Flores de Moura

Entrada Publishing

Picture Book

33 pages

ages 4 to 8

A young girl decides her dad is a Russian spy. Follow the clues to see if you come to the same conclusion!

Breakout author Candy Berg has something for kids and parents alike in My Dad Is a Russian Spy.

Enjoy your family reading time and practice some spycraft yourself with every re-read.

GOODREADS   /    AMAZON    /   BOOK DEPOSITORY   

MY TIDBITS

A realistic child's imagination and desire for a little adventure make this a fun theme and a cute adventure.

This little girl is sure her father's a spy. She really didn't know it before but has finally pieced the activities together and has come to this conclusion. But most importantly, she loves him a lot.

I did think that this book was going to follow clues as the child pieces together her conclusion. Rather, she starts with her already settled conclusion and tells the reader why she thinks the way she does. This was a bit disappointing, since letting it actively join her search would have been more investing (imo). But this is still a sweet read as the text explains what reasons she has, one by one, and the illustrations show reality.

I did smirk and smile, and I'm sure young readers/listeners will as well. Some situations were very obvious in what was really going on, while others were a little less clear (and might need a tiny shove in pointing them out depending on the reader). I did appreciate the realistic play on a child's fantasy and how it allowed reality and fantasy to meld into a fuzzy and happy truth. It's a fun read and one which will have kids flipping through more than once.