Book Description

Dear Puzzle Enthusiast,

I have spent many unhappy years doing many unhappy things, and I do not recommend it. My work researching Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire and their endless troubles with Count Olaf leaves me moaning, weeping, and pulling out my hair almost every night, including weekends.

But there is no reason for you to spend your life the same way. Instead, you might choose to spend your youth distracted by mildly entertaining activities. Like school, prison, or an enormous cake with a spyglass baked into it, this collection of puzzles and games will help keep you "out of trouble," a phrase which here means "far away from distressing books and movies." In this short digest alone, I have collected such instructive diversions as a do-it-yourself blindfold, a coded message, a crossword puzzle, and a monkey fist -- enough to fill up several years of your life.

I am bound to continue my research into the tragic lives of the Baudelaire orphans, but you have an opportunity to do cheerier things with your time. Take it.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Reviews (5)

Very informative book that makes learning fun
Blood and Guts is a nifty little book designed to teach kids about the workings of the human body while having fun doing it. Making learning fun is what the Brown Paper School project is all about; a group of California teachers, writers, and artists came together periodically to put together an impressive number of educational books for children, working on the principle "Accept no substitutes for fun." Linda Allison wrote and illustrated this particular book herself, and it does indeed live up to its subtitle A Working Guide to Your Own Insides. The primary beneficiaries of the book are older children, but in a strong sense she seemed to be writing for both children and their parents; a number of the experiments she includes in these pages really need the supervision and help of an adult, and this makes for a wonderful way for parents to take an active role in their child's education and intellectual development.

The book is organized very well, as the author devotes a chapter to each of the following topics: skin, bones, teeth, muscles, heart, lungs, cells, digestion, kidneys, eyes, ears, balance, brain and nervous system, and reproduction. She provides a basic but quite informative narrative for each subject at hand, includes a number of helpful illustrations, and lays out a number of experiments by which kids can see and learn about the individual subjects themselves. Many of these experiments are very simple and can be performed quickly and easily, while others call for a few supplies that necessitate adult involvement - some of these can be dangerous, such as several different kinds of acid. The book also suggests the acquisition and minor dissection of things like hearts and kidneys, but that probably goes a little farther than most parents will want to go. Obviously, unless your last name is Frankenstein, you don't need to do everything in this book, but most of the experiments are quick, easy, and fun. The chapter on reproduction does not go very deeply into the subject, but the basic differences between males and females are touched upon in word and simplistic illustration. Since the book is aimed at the 9-12 age group, parents will want to take this into consideration. Overall, though, the book succeeds quite well in making learning a fun activity for the child as well as the entire family.

COOL!
"Blood and Guts" sparks curiosity by the name alone. It addresses misconceptions that children may have (such as that bacteria are bad), and uses examples that they can understand for comparisons (there are more bacteria living on you than there are people on earth). Fascinating do-it-yourself (yes, at home!) experiments show how lungs work, identify parts of kidneys, test for fats, etc. Set aside an hour now and then, roll up your sleeves & dig in with the kids! Double your fun by inviting friends to learn with you.

Great entertaining science!
"You are many things. You are millions of blood vessels, billions of cells, hundreds of muscles, thousands of hairs, quarts of blood...You are blood and guts and a whole lot more." An ambitious undertaking for a single volume! Yet Blood and Guts does a fabulous job of explaining the human body in terms that children can understand. And the illustrations and experiments are simple but easily understood. Chapters cover Skin, Bones, Teeth, Muscles, Heart, Lungs, Cells, Digestion, Kidneys, Eyes, Ears, Balance, Brain and Reproduction. Children will be delighted with the experiments including dissecting an animal's heart, shifty eyes, liquidation (bladder capacity), starch and spit test, calisthenics for your face, casting teeth and the great thumbless survival test. No science background is required. In fact, it may be best to combine learning with your children in this fascinating book. Recommended for all ages, home or school... From The Science Spiders Newsletter.

Blood and Guts: a working guide to your own insides
The information in this book is clear and accurate. The drawings are good too. However, many of the projects described don't work. Some of them don't work because they can't work and some of them don't work because there isn't quite enough information given to the reader to make them work.

A clear, fun and helpful book that answers it all!
This book is loaded with uncomplicated science experiments that require ordinary household items. It is filled with interesting facts (like "what is really on the back of your hand, if you think you know it so well?!") Teachers and those who home school their children will find this a very useful resource that puts information in "kid language" without dumbing down the information. ... Read more

Book Description

Brain Quest is the curriculum-based learning tool that's helped over 14 million kids get ahead in the classroom.Now, with 50 percent new material keyed to what students in grades 1-7 need to know today, Brain Quest is ready to help a new generation review their current grades and preview the next in a colorful, challenging format that makes learning fun.

With bolder colors, new illustrations, full-color icons, and a more energetic design, Brain Quest looks as smart as it is.And of course each Brain Quest deck is still as portable as ever.In the car, at the beach, on the couch-kids can turn to Brain Quest anywhere, anytime.

Each title includes:
- The most current information across a range of disciplines
- Broader and more intellectually challenging questions in all subjects
- A better balance between questions kids should be able to answer and those that will expand what they know. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great way for kids to show off what they know
Anyone familiar with the Brain Quest series knows what we have here: grade-specific questions from six different subject areas with which to test your child's knowledge. It is very open-ended: you can keep score, you can play in teams, or you can use the questions as the basis for any game you like.
My sister and I used Brain Quest 3rd Grade to keep our daughters entertained one long weekend. One girl just started 3rd grade and the other just started 4th grade. What we noticed is that many of these questions seemed to be in areas that even the 4th-grader had not covered last year. There were enough questions on the girls' level to keep them from feeling frustrated, but don't be surprised if you find a lot of them go over your kid's head. This is a series, especially in the math area, that gives your child's brain a good workout.

Third Grade Genius Kit in a Box
Every third grade teacher on the planet would have serious lust for the Brain Quest Third Grade set if they knew what it had in it. Lots of classroom time is spent lining up, waiting for the bell, waiting for the bus, waiting for this or that and any teacher armed with a Brainquest pack can put good use to the time and the kids will love it. Kids love to learn and the Brainquest series is built on the assumption that kids want to be smarter, want to know more, want to understand their world better. Little tiny bits of information on the Brainquest cards (which are anchored together by a sturdy plastic rivet) keep kids headed toward braininess. Instead of buying your third grader's teacher yet another mug or cute little apple desk decoration thingie, why not give her a BRAINQUEST? This pack has over a thousand questions and answers in a reader-friendly format. Don't let boredom drill into YOUR third graders' brains. Buy them a Brainquest and keep one in the car to make the most of travel time.

Wonderful for classroom visits to the library!
I am a children's librarian at a public library. I regularly read stories to visiting classes. Sometimes, I can see that a bright group of kids needs something fast to "warm them up". Asking a few choice questions from this source (answers are supplied also) always wakes up the group and puts them in a receptive mood for the stories. ... Read more

Book Description

How can kids swim with slimy snakes, munch on wiggly worms, and play their favoriteparty game? By playing Fear Factor Mad Libs: Ultimate Gross Out! Kids love thedaring and disgusting, and Fear Factor Mad Libs: Ultimate Gross Out! serves upboth, along with a big helping of fun! As a follow-up to our best-selling Fear FactorMad Libs, kids will love grossing themselves out with the show’s signature"delicacy" challenges! To tie into the premiere of Fear Factor’s fifth season in September2004, Fear Factor Mad Libs: Ultimate Gross Out! is sure to make MadLibs fans ______ to their_____________________________! ... Read more

Book Description

Over 40 fun, hands-on projects and activities from the days of colonial America

Spend a year with the Mayhews, a family living in the Massachusetts colony of 1732. Ten-year-old Nathan and his twelve-year-old sister, Sarah, are eager to share all the fun and adventure—and the hard work—of their daily lives. Along the way, they'll show you how to play games, make toys and crafts, and perform lots of interesting and challenging everyday activities.

Churn your own butter and whip up a batch of tasty Maple Cream treats. Write with a quill pen you can make yourself, learn how to dip candles, and play popular games like Jackstraws, Crack the Egg, and Sheep Over the Fence.

Colonial Days is filled with interesting historical information and fun facts about growing up in days gone by. Discover how different—and how similar—life was for American kids in history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great New Series!
I loved this book, and the other books in the series, for completing a good, fun, study of American Colonial History. I highly recommend this book! The activities were fun and simple and well researched! ... Read more

Book Description

Forty years young and still a bestselling series (over 100 million sold), Mad Libs has definitely stood the test of time. Now, Price Stern Sloan introduces the Mad Libs desk calendar. This new and original calendar features favorite quotes, cliches, lyrics, recipes, and more. Just fill in the blanks and let the laughs roll. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

YAY
MAD LIBS are the best thing!!I will be buying some [...]! Living in Oz,It can be hard to buy mad libs but I managed to get this one.It is really good,really fun,and gives lotsa laughs.And,if you are wondering,yep,you can play each story again and again as you forget them.I suppose one of my favourite stories in it is Beauty Advice.

Fun, Fun, Fun!
These aren't only for kids. They are fun anytime...traveling, rainy days, late night entertainment. They take at least 2 people though. One person has the mad lib book, which is full of short stories with missing nouns, verbs, advebs and adjectives. That person asks the other person for the nouns, verbs, etc, writes them in the blanks and then reads the story outloud. My sixth grade teacher used to do this with our class...almost 20 years ago ... Read more

Book Description

Complete plans for making marvelous moving machines out of the special Legos that come with the book and some basic pieces you've already got at home. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

My 6 yr old loved it and we had fun building together
Although the book says ages 9 -12, I bought it for my 6 year old and he loved it. It was recommended by a 1st grade teacher. We have worked together on building some of the contraptions and have had a lot of fun. He could easily follow the picture instructions, but needed help on the words. Much better than buying the kits and building what the picture shows. This "book" comes with pieces you usually find in the Technic sets or have to special order through the Lego catalog. Also combines Legos with things you have around the house - string, balloons, etc. - to build all sorts of things. I really like the fact that it isn't just step by step how to build something but also gives ideas on how you can put a new twist on what you have built and asks you to expand upon it.

As a science teacher use book to teach simple machines.
Teaching in a specialized school with a vast amount of equipment I was pleased to find a Lego book that will probably last a lot longer than the Lego Technic cards which are easily lost or misplaced. Having written the third grade science curricula for our city I can see that this activity book would satisfy the beginning objectives taught for the simple machines unit. I like the inventory page with labeled photographs of each piece. It is important to teach the students the names of each LEGO piece so that there is a commonality of terms when designating which piece to use in the construction of each "contraption". The pictures are clear. The assembly of the projects is easy for students to follow. The projects are interest-grabbing to a child.

Crazy Action Contraptions
My husband is a Lego aficionado and I bought this to see if it would be challenging for him. We both loved it, especially the Kentucky do-nothing. The instructions were very clear and we were able to make many of the contraptions with our nieces and nephews.

Make the Kentucky Do-Nothing
I'm absolutely fascinated by the Kentucky Do-Nothing, and I've constructed it in half a dozen colors in three different scales. I can sit there and play with it for minutes on end, and I simply don't know why. It's like an Escher painting; I know how it works, but I still can't quite believe it.

Great! Lot of FUN!
You get a book and a few little special lego pieces in this kit. The lego pieces are typical lego quality- sturdy and fairly easy to use. You follow the directions in the book and using the special lego pieces and the legos you already have at home, you can build some cool contraptions. Some are easier than others to build. However, all are doable and all live up to my expectations. Very Fun.

Enjoy.

IF you are like I am and look for toys that are quality toys that encourage creativity and exploration of the world around you, Lego toys are great. If you look for toys that have more than a button to push, lego toys are great. The toys are quality toys that can grow with your child and continually be added to to make new and exciting things. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Entertainment for hours
This book kept my kids -- 3 1/2 and 5 years old -- entertained for hours. This book includes all the numbers at the bottom of each page, so it is easy to use for kids still learning how to count. There are many dot-to-dot pictures on each page, so there are plenty of pictures to complete. I highly recommend it.

The best dot-to-dot I've seen
This book offers a range of skill levels that allowed my 5YO tobuild his confidence, while giving him challenges as he progressed.He loved the colorful pictures and was excited to discover the next puzzle. He likes to color with markers, and we found the paper used in the book doesn't "bleed" like many other books we've tried. I would highly recommend this book to any parent who is trying to teach their child numbers. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Ready made fun!
My 4 year old loves Treasure hunts, puzzles, etc... When I saw this, I knew it was for her! There are treasure hunts of all levels in this book. In the hunts at the first of the book, the clue may be as easy as a picture of the next place you should look. It progresses in difficulty to clues that you need to hold up to a mirror to read - and riddles that you must solve. So, it is equally fun for an older crowd of kids as well. The hunt is so much fun, the kids might not even need a treasure! The cards can be torn out of the book and kept in the pockets inside the covers, then used again. Klutz does it again!

Our kids love it
This book has tear out clues to hide all over the house. Each clue leads you to the next clue. I have a 4 and 6 year old girls who love doing the hunts. Some are to complicated for them. Some are too easy for older kids. So this is a good product for a family. It's well worth the money.

This is so much fun and so easy!!!!
This book arrived today, and I am so thrilled, it is better than I imagined. There are 11 treasure hunts with the clues provided, suitable for all ages. I will keep the book hidden and use one for the Easter Egg Hunt. We'll do another for my daughters 8th birthday party with her friends, and the best thing is, we can use them again and again. I know this is going to be one of those books that is borrowed often!

A treasure of a book
This book has a wide variety of treasure hunts from those for pre-readers to more complicated ones that even adults can enjoy. Included are the clues and where to hide them, and also pockets to store them in. I really enjoyed the indoor ones and am looking forward to trying the outdoor ones as soon as the weather turns. These are fun for rainy days, or for parties as well. There is a total of 12 treasure hunts included. The first 3 are geared more to the pre-readers, and get more difficult with picture puzzles, and scrambled words as well as riddles and codes. It is a fun book, everyone can enjoy ... Read more

Book Description

Practice tying knots using the nylon cord that is color-coded to the illustrations and tied through the holes on each page.A unique gift, intriguing puzzle, practical tool and entertaining book...all tied up together. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Good for kids, probably
This book has rather few knots, and instead of making every one of the few knots count and making sure to hit all the basics, it wastes space on some knots most people won't ever need. ...

On the other hand, with the built-in cords, it would make an appealing-looking gift for kids. But, the gimmick of having little cut-outs for the ropes to go through when practicing knots fails, because the cardboard readily tears with an ordinary kind of pull.

But, the average person will learn a useful knot or two from this book... if nothing else, your kid will be pleased to find out how to tie his sneakers just as securely as doubleknotted, but untying with a single pull, and looking very similar to a regular knot but kind of cool. That knot could be worth the price of admission... but overall something like Morrow's Guide to knots is far superior and not much more money.

Overall, I felt the book was a gimmicky semi-ripoff, but that's not being quite fair, because the average person will pick up a few useful knots from it, whereas they might just be intimidated or confused by a more comprehensive book.

Most user-friendly knot book
For learning basic knots, this book is a great resource. Author prioritizes knots, indicating the three most useful. Diagrams are great. Ropes included with book are helpful.

Nearly satisfying...
The aim of this book is to tie simple knots. As an introduction for children, this book may serve its purpose, but even at that, it tries too hard. The format and illustrations, though good, do not provide the necessary support for children to achieve the goal of tying these knots by themselves. If you are a parent, you'll have to learn how yourself, then teach your kids how to do it - which is fine.

This is a fun and "cute" book for kids that provides more entertainment than learning value. Once viewed, however, I suspect that the fluffy content will not attract a second look. Hopefully, the book does provide an outlet for curiosity that may develop into long-term interest in acquiring useful skills.

The book comes with rope, ready to be tied through holes in the covers. However, kids will NOT follow the attractive illustrations intuitively. Other books in the same price range are better for learning how to tie knots using more and clearer diagrams and descriptive text - though less attractively. For diehard enthusiasts, the most authoritative (and difficult!) book on knot tying is the venerable Ashley Book of Knots, by Clifford Ashley. ...

As an alternative to deciphering diagrams on a page, you could search ... for "Beutner Multimedia" to find a series of multimedia software CD-ROMs on knot tying adopted by the Boy Scouts of America. The CD-ROMs use video to show any kid or adult how to tie, splice, and knot at various skill levels using high quality video instruction performed by an expert. (Remarkably, the software runs entirely off the CD-ROM, without installation, on a PC.)

The best solution? Find a senior citizen to teach you how to tie the knots! In a relaxing afternoon, you can learn all of the knots you'll ever need without the frustration of following confusing diagrams.

Because this book does spark interest in acquiring an important skill, it earns a conditional recommendation of 3 stars.

Great for learning all the basic knots, great reference
I knew nothing about knots besides tying my shoelaces (and the book showed me a better way to do even THAT). This book is great because it gives you 24 of the most basic knots to tie (out of supposedly 4000 in existence) and gives you step-by-step instructions alongside thick-cardboard die-cut pages with a couple long strings to practice with. I've used it as a reference many many times since buying it.

Super cool & super fun!
Hey -- this book is great fun!

You get to learn a little bit about knots and you get to tie them with strings and holes nicely cut into the book!

The book won't show you anything too complex or fancy but will have you passing basic seamanship by the end of the day. ... Read more

Book Description

You can count on horse-crazy kids to be doing something horse-related, thinking about something horse-related, or planning something horse-related 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That's why Cindy A. Littlefield created the Kids' Book of Horse Games & Puzzles. If kids are going to spend their time horsing around, they might as well jump-start their creativity and boost their problem-solving skills at the same time.

The book is divided into five sections: Word Play, Picture Puzzles, Drawing, Fun and Games, and Brain Teasers. (All the answers are included.)

Take the "Horse and Pony Stall of Fame" challenge by matching up famous equines with their human or television character companions. Snuffle through the "Hungry as a Horse" quiz and see if you can find the names of 14 things horses like to eat hidden in a block of letters. Then break out your best drawing pencils and learn how to draw a horse's portrait in six easy steps.

Fun, horsey cartoons and illustrations adorn every page. And scattered throughout the book are horse riddles, bits of horse trivia, and quotes about horses.

Here, at last, is the perfect book for kids who love puzzles almost as much as they love horses. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

These are great!
No matter how old you are, Madlibs are hilarious. My husband & I love to play these Madlibs to relax after a long hard day...we both remember them from our Childhood. The best thing is that you can work on a madlib book and then put it away for a few months and do them all again with different equally hilarious results.

Sometimes they are more funny with more creative, perhaps more taboo words...

Mad libs
really fun. great game for on trips or at partys ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for road trips
My son loved the Q&A format of these cards and we exchanged "high fives" every time he got a "genius point." The cards include a good mix of super easy questions to more challenging ones--all targeted for a specific age level. It would be a stretch to call this game "educational" but the back and forth interaction between quizzer and quizzee provides great family fun. This works very well as a game to pass time in the car or on the airplane. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Shiver me timbers! Here's a treasure trove of activities no child will be able to resist. A friendly pirate shares his secrets and an ordinary bedroom becomes a captain's cabin, a box becomes a treasure chest, and messages get sent to friends in code. The fun and games continue with suggestions for making pirate costumes, building a model ship, and planning a rollicking pirate party. There's plenty of information about real pirates too! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

read age limit
Great book, but I did not pay close enough attention to the reccommended age limit. It really is a bit too much for my 7 year old. 9 years and up is accurate. It is a very fun book though, with lots of activities and things to make.

Two Hooks Up!
My kids and I love this book. There were so many cute ideas, several parties worth. Pirates are a hit with most kids and this book uses this theme combined with simple objects to make things that kids will think are awesome. I especially liked the recipes, the place cards, the ideas to make with salt dough, and the pirate facts throughout the book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When you're a kid, summertime stretches before you like a vast plane of possibility. Long days await, ready to be filled with excitement and discovery--and games, of course! Whether you feel like playing croquet, Frisbee golf, hide-and-seek, or staging a treasure hunt--or maybe just a quick game of crazy eights--this book has all the rules for over 150 games and activities, many summers' worth of entertainment. The collection is divided into sections such as "Land Action" (croquet, badminton, capture the flag); "Just for One or Two" (juggling, card tricks, double solitaire, marbles); "Indoor Games" (charades, dominoes, hearts); "Games to Make" (comet ball, pickup sticks, homestyle bingo); "Waterfront" (water safety's no game, beach games); and "Warm Weather Olympics" (Olympic planning, beach biathlon, land challenges).Jane Drake and Ann Love are sisters who have spent many summers together with their families, playing lively, silly, and just-plain-fun games. They are both avid naturalists and are the authors of the bestselling The Kids' Summer Handbook and The Kids Campfire Book. This excellent game guide--clearly and attractively designed, straightforward, and packed with potential--belongs on the shelf of any kid or parent looking for year-round fun. (Ages 8 to 98). --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Average
This book has lots of ideas in it and it written clearly and concisely... However I know many of the ideas that are in the book so it was only an average help to me... If you were giving it to a child as a present it would be great :) ... Read more

Book Description

Attention Digimon Fans! Think you know everything there is to know about the awesome Digimon: Digital Monsters TV show, trading cards, and excellent fun card game? Think again! Sure, you know it's ultracool when innocent-looking Digimon morph into superpowerful, fearsome creatures. And sure, you know the show's anime-style art is the bomb. But guess what? There's so much more to know than that! You hold in your hands the only official guide to all the Digimon characters--from Tai and Patamon to Champion Digimon Ogremon--and every other member of the Digi World, too! This book includes: All 206 Digimon and 7 human characters--their English and Japanese names, their categories, and their special abilitiesEach Digimon's masterful fighting techniqueThe digivolution of each DigimonThe "411" on fascinating File Island where they all liveA mini-guide to the card game and trading cardsA checklist to mark down which Digimon cards you haveAn Official Trainer's Certificate

In short, everything you need to be a Digimaster of the Digimon universe! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Good info, save the descriptions
A. Ryan Nerz does a good job when it comes to the stats, but it's lacking something when it comes to descriptions. Most of them simply say what the Digimon looks like (as if the pictures didn't show us)and their attacks. That's usually about it, unless they add how scary or strong the Digimon is and that we should watch out for them. Sometimes they throw in an extra bit, like what part they played in the show, which is a plus. All in all, it's a nice book despite the not up to par descriptions. Extras include and FAQ, show information, and Digidestined information.

Digimon Kicks Butt!
What a great book. I take it with me everywhere I go. It's oosome. I mean, yeah, it has some mistakes, but it still has more Digimon characters and concepts than any other guide or book. A. Ryan Nerz rocks, and so does this guide!

Werner

Review of Digimon Digital Monsters: The Official Character G
The official review of this book was misleading. As a result of the review, I expected to find each name written in both English and Japanese.

Hey Digimon!Hey Digimon!
It was a pretty cool book, but I warn you-there are bloopers!Especially if you watch the show, you'll notice everything wrong in this book.There is A-LOT of things they messed up on.Well any how, this book gives info on Digimon you never knew. A great book for the Digimon fans.

A good book, but some bloopers
Digimon: TOCG is a better-researched book that Pojo's, but it still has some faults. It refers to Togemon, Birdramon, and Garudamon as male, even though they are female in the show. Ditto for Floramon and Blossomon. Deramon is said to be female. Shellmon is listed as a Rookie, rather than a Champion. Also, the In-Training form for Kari's Digimon (Nyaramon) is absent.

However, this is a more or less thorough guide to the Digimon and humans of the television series, listing their sizes, attacks (including some that were not used on television) and evolutions, with picturess taken from the cards or other artwork.

It lists the monsters up to the end of the Dark Masters arc, which only leaves out Apocalypsemon, including incidental characaters. Recommended for any Digimon fan, though some of the mistakes ... Read more

Book Description

What could be better for kids in the backseat on those long car trips? Highlighting some of America’s most popular travel destinations, Summer Fun Mad Libs Junior is perfect for those long road trips. ... Read more

Book Description

Following on the popular success of Al Seckel’s first book of Optical Illusions, awarded the American Library Association’s Best Book for Young Adults 2001 (non-fiction category), this second volume More Optical Illusions offers 160 more bewildering images, the majority of which have never been published.

Static images that flash and scintillate, color and brightness illusions, impossible figures and objects, and geometric and subjective motion illusions among many others, offer fascinating insights into one of science’s greatest mysteries – how we think and perceive.Many of the images come from recent discoveries in vision science and contemporary artwork.

Brief and up-to-date scientific explanations accompany each effect describing how our minds can misinterpret visual indicators, how pictures change depending on context, and how receptors in the retina can give our brain conflicting information. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

More Optical Illusions
I purchased this book from Amazon.com as a set, paired with "the Great Book of Optical Illusions" by the same author. "More Optical Illusions" is simply the last 4 chapters of "the Great Book of Optical Illusions"!! Why on earth does Amazon sell these as a set, giving the impression that the "More" book is a collection of different illusions than the first book???
If you buy these 2 as a set, you are simply paying extra for another copy of the last half of "Great Book...".
What a rip...

The Seckel Tandem, the King & Queen of Illusions
The 2 Seckel optical illusion collections (this volume + "Art of...") are the best collaborations I've ever seen on the subject. Not limited by or to the trite everyday old-time "dot-outside-box" stuff relegated to kids, these 2 volumes sample every category in optical-illusion science, including perspective, color, a whole host of 3D/1D impossible objects (including our old friend, the "3-pronged blivet" of 1964), modern/surreal artwork/photography, and op-art psychedelia as well as illusions which are actually experiments that test our other senses. Many you still don't believe even after proof!

I especially had interest in the "face" category, which includes faces hidden within plants and scenery; upside-down faces within right-side-up faces; the mirror-image bilateral split of Hillary Clinton's face; and what I call the "Eyes (& Mouths) of the Beholder" heads (Thatcher & Frakes) in which faces of famous people can be presented upside-down, while only some of their facial features left upright. Photo-cropping software can reproduce such effects. These last 2 ideas could start national fads if the results weren't so unnerving...

The illusions are beautifully presented on each glossed page with enough white-space for breathing room, while not too much to be considered a waste of page area. The paperback books are strongly bound, so pages wouldn't easily become dislodged. Most of the entries have explanatory notes set up as "footnotes" at the end of each "gallery" section (I would have to dock 1/2 star because several of the illusions I questioned were left without explanations).

Get one of the volumes, get both; they complement each other (but the 3rd, larger book, "Great Book of..." appears to be a rehash of the material in both of these). ... Read more