The American Boy's Handy Book
Daniel Beard
This is a must read for anyone who ever wished they were a Swallow or an Amazon.
Girls, do not be put off by the title. This book contains directions for just
about everything the Ransome characters do, and much more that I'm sure they
would have done if they'd thought of it.
The American Boy's Handy Book
is divided into four sections, one for each season. A few highlights include
flying war kites, how to build 10 different kinds of boats (including a "Crusoe raft"
which Titty might have liked), how to build an ice yacht, and a whole section on
snowball warfare.
I strongly recommend this book to Ransome readers about age
twelve or older. Even if you cannot undertake the larger projects in this book,
there are plenty of small things to do which even city dwellers can enjoy and
anyone can dream of doing the other things . . .
Revewed by Mary Wessel Walker, November, 2000
This article is ©2000 by Mary Wessel Walker, and posted on All Things
Ransome with permission.
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