Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars is a fun collection of projects, skill building, and outdoor adventures for kids (and their grownups) written and curated by Steven Rinella. Released 13th June 2023 by Random House, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a practical and accessible guide filled with projects for enjoying and learning in the outdoor spaces. Although aimed at middle grade readers (and their adults), it's full of all-ages activities and everyone will find something to grab their interest.
There are safety guidelines and instructions throughout. Depending on the maturity and abilities of individual kids, adult supervision may be required for some of the activities. The tutorial projects are arranged thematically: navigation & exploration, collecting & foraging, fishing hunting & wildlife, and garden & home projects. There is such a large variety, there will be something to appeal to almost every taste and ability.
Tutorials include an introduction, materials and supplies in a bullet list, and are followed by step-by-step instructions. Measurements are provided in imperial (American) units only, no metric conversion included in the book. Special instructions and safety considerations are highlighted in colored text boxes throughout.
It's illustrated simply with line drawings throughout; there are no photos. The projects are varied and simple to more complex. There are bird-watching projects, insect and biodiversity projects, hunting and foraging projects (LOTS!), and survival/woodcrafting projects aplenty.
Four and a half stars. This would be an excellent choice for public and school library acquisition, home use, scouting & activity groups, and similar uses.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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