Tying knots, reading a map, making slime, writing an algorithm: some skills are best learned young. Becky Baines gathers 100 of them in one illustrated handbook for kids who like to try things.
Readical Key Points
- 100 skills across everyday, craft, outdoor, science and life topics, for ages 8 to 12
- Illustrated by Laurie Avon, with step-by-step diagrams and photographs
- Tips from experts throughout, among them an aircraft designer, a lunar scientist and a world memory champion
- Hardcover, 320 pages, What on Earth!, 2026
The skills run from the everyday, like packing a suitcase or giving a good compliment, to weekend projects such as building a den or making papier-mâché, to puzzles for the mind, including calculating pi and spotting constellations without a telescope. Each one is laid out in steps, and the expert advice turns up where it helps most, from the perfect paper plane to remembering long lists.
It suits children who would rather do than read about doing, and the parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians who put books in their hands. Readers can dip in for a single rainy-afternoon project or work through it front to back. The book treats curiosity as something a kid can practice.
About the Author and Illustrator
Becky Baines is a former editorial director at National Geographic Kids and co-created the kids' radio program the Weird but True Show. Illustrator Laurie Avon, also a printmaker, works from Brighton in the UK.
Condition: Brand New and Readical Ready.
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