Normally, I review children’s books, but I thought this
topic was important for those grownups who care for and teach children. Time
Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress, a book by John Fitch and Max Frenzel, was just released. It is an in-depth look at time spent not working
and the concept of rest ethic. The
authors begin with a stroll through the history of the view of work vs.
leisure, beginning with the ancient hunter-gatherer cultures. It is interesting
to contrast how the ancients only did enough work to ensure survival, whereas
today, work tends to consume us and leaves little time for true relaxation.
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John Fitch & Max Frenzel
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Nine traits are presented to show the importance of
mindfully incorporating time off in one’s life.
The authors show how a good rest ethic is as important as a good work
ethic. They recount the benefits of
rest, including better health and greater productivity and creativity when
working. They show how excessive time spent working can actually be
counterproductive. The final chapter
takes a thought-provoking look at the future and how people will compete with
artificial intelligence. Throughout the book the authors invite the reader to
engage in the topics they discuss by suggesting an activity to practice the
topic. I like the profiles peppered throughout the book that make it an
interesting read and illustrate the authors’ points.
I expected this to be “researchy” and “textbooky” book. While the authors do support their work with
research, it is not at all a dull book.
I enjoyed reading it and learned a great deal. It is a book that will cause the readers to
reflect on their own attitudes and habits related to work ethic and rest ethic.
Author Kat Kronenberg has crafted a story of encouragement
for children. The third book in her LIVE BIG trilogy, THINK BIG, takes the reader
to the wilds of east Africa again. The animals
were faced with a series of challenges brought on by a lightning strike that
set the savanna on fire. Each animal
had to connect its head and heart and overcome its fears to help the
others. Even Baobab Tree came up with a
grand idea to save the animals. Throughout
the fiery crisis, poor Kudu struggled with fear, but finally was able to THINK
BIG and rescue Mama Bush Baby and her baby.
The author includes a section at the end of the book to help
understand the concepts and catch words used in the story. Kronenberg’s website includes some hands-on
activities to follow up the book. Proceeds
from the sale of her book go to
David Miles created the illustrations for THINK BIG. His use of light really brings the story to
life. See more of his illustrations in the gallery of his website.
Pretend you
are ten years old. Instead of spending a lot of your summer playing on
a sunny Florida beach, you are stuck inside with nothing to do but read. That’s OK.
You love to read. Then, each book
you read sets your imagination in gear for some fun!
All this really did happen to the
author of Legends from Mom’s Closet. This
author, Sasha Olsen, really is ten years old.
Thanks to an exceptionally rainy Florida summer, she spent more time doing one of her
favorite activities: reading. She wound
up reading biographies of ten amazing women. She read about women from
different cultures, like Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama, and Billie Holiday. She read about women from different time
periods, like Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, and Jackie Kennedy. She even read about some stars of their days,
like Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, and Joan Jett.
Reading about these legends' lives inspired
her to try to recreate each woman after she read about her. To do that, she had
to check out her mother’s closet to put together the costumes. Sometimes her grandmother even came to her
rescue with hair styling assistance and a few items of clothing.
To document all this fun, she wrote
about it in her diary. What a fun
read! Her mom’s friend took beautiful photographs
of all her costumes and props and ofSasha all dressed up. She even included a page of directions on how
to dress up like each of the women.
Your girls from about six to 12 years
old will enjoy this book. Maybe this will be a springboard to read some biographies that will spark their imaginations. Don’t be
surprised if you find them rummaging in your closet to find some dress-up
clothes!
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Author, Sasha Olsen
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