[.ca] The Girls' Book: How to Be the Best at Everything (ISBN 0545016290)

Bits of Valuable Advice That I Used in a Too Brief Format on Many Subjects:
I read this book before going on a trip with my daughter. While we were away, she struggled with su doku puzzles and I was able to use the section in this book to help her. Later in the trip, I stepped in something that made my running shoes smell like I had had a run in with a skunk. Upon returning home, I began applying the remedies in this book and my shoes smell better than when I left home. Thank you, Ms. Foster! I also liked the sections on making a friendship bracelet (an essential skill for our daughters), preparing a bird feeder, winning a staring contest, pressing flowers (another essential girl activity in our family), grooming a horse (a much contemplated, but never done, activity at our house), making a fake mess, walking the dog with a yo-yo (very difficult for our daughters), drawing with wet chalk, sand castle building, eating with chopsticks (hard for our daughters), making a French braid (often done here), finding the North Star, growing a crystal, making bread, finding your blind spot, and performing ballet. I didn't like the goofy sections. I'm not sure the humor would have worked with our daughters. This is humor for very adventuresome girls which our daughters weren't. Some of the sections were well-intentioned but didn't provide enough detail such as how to whistle loud. Illustrations of that section would have helped a lot. Other sections just didn't get there such as how to study for exams. It's the kind of advice you would give someone trying to memorize spelling words rather than study for something more rigorous. The section on surviving in the desert doesn't mention taking extra salt before going into the desert. I thought the section on keeping a secret diary was diabolically too clever. My wife wouldn't have been able to read our daughter's writing if they had read that section. My wife would have been a basket case. Both of our daughters were into design, color, and beautiful images. This book looks like a 1935 version on this subject and wouldn't have appealed to them. I'm glad such a book was published, however, because mastering these tasks can bring a lot of joy to a girl (or to a boy playing with a girl).