cover image 100 Screen-Free Ways to Beat Boredom!

100 Screen-Free Ways to Beat Boredom!

Kris Hirschmann, illus. by Elisa Paganelli. Barron’s, $8.99 paper (96p) ISBN 978-1-4380-1149-3

This handbook offers 100 straightforward screen-free projects for readers to undertake when bored. These include indoor activities such as yoga, painting, making a fingerprint kit, and concocting silly slime, as well as outdoor projects such as planting an herb garden, making a slip and slide, and leaf jumping. Ways to avoid the “are we there yet?” question while traveling include making a travel scrapbook, creating a group story sentence-by-sentence, and dream interpretation: “Share your wackiest dreams with your journey-mates, then ask them to take turns explaining what they think they mean.” Paganelli illustrates with color-accented line drawings and photo details, creating a lively presentation that invites casual perusing. Without proselytizing, Hirschmann gently urges readers to unplug (“Put that device down and get creative. Pick a page and try something new!”), while the loosely structured activities provide leeway for readers to come up with their own screen-free fun. Ages 7–10. (Mar.)