The Project Play books are a series of children’s storybooks that are cleverly named as classic outdoor games and have a theme for kids of playing and using your imagination instead of being parked in front of a TV or playing their favorite video game. The first three books, Treasure Hunt, Follow the Leader, and Just a Baseball Game are hardcovers and suitable for any age child who will sit and listen to a story. My 3rd grader can easily read them and my 3 year old loves listening to them.
The two most recent additions to the series, Kick the Can and Ghost in the Graveyard are geared toward older readers and most younger children probably wouldn’t have the attention span because there aren’t as many drawings. Again, my 3rd grader read them fine and really enjoyed them, but my 3 year old lost interest a few pages in.
All of these book are well written, brightly and nicely illustrated, and truly did encourage my children to play games outside, some of which they’d never heard of. Our favorite book in the series was Follow the Leader and it is also our new favorite game. We really enjoyed getting to read these books and to share the message they convey to our boys. Nothing makes me happier now than to hear them say, “Hey! Let’s go outside and play Kick the Can!”
To learn more about these books and the author and illustrator behind the Project Play Book Series, Marlene Byrne and Jesse Graber, visit ProjectPlayBooks.com . This site also provides useful facts about childhood obesity and tips for parents about how to keep children active. You can purchase Project Play Books from AtlasBooks.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Target, and other retailers of children's books.
Thank you to Project Play Books for sending us sample books free of charge to base this review upon.
