The Dangerous Book for Boys Hardcover – Illustrated, April 24, 2012

The Dangerous Book for Boys es mucho más que un libro: es una puerta a la imaginación, el descubrimiento y la diversión clásica. Está lleno de actividades, datos históricos, experimentos, manualidades y consejos que inspiran a los niños (y adultos) a salir de las pantallas y explorar el mundo con curiosidad y valentía.📚 Lo que más me gustó:• Contenido variado y entretenido: desde cómo hacer nudos, construir una cabaña o lanzar una piedra, hasta datos sobre grandes inventores y batallas históricas.• Estilo de escritura cercano y educativo, sin ser aburrido.• Diseño visual atractivo, con ilustraciones y secciones fáciles de leer.• Fomenta valores como la creatividad, el coraje y el ingenio.🎯 Ideal para niños de 8 a 14 años, pero también maravilloso para compartir en familia. Es un libro que se puede disfrutar por partes o volver a él una y otra vez.✅ Una compra perfecta para regalar, se lo obsequié a mi sobrino y lo amo! Así creamos recuerdos y nutrimos mentes curiosas. ¡Un clásico moderno que todo niño debería tener!

Years ago I found a beat-up old box that contained a stack of musty books. I suppose they must have belonged to my father or grandfather and that they had long since been forgotten. They were interesting books, clearly targeted at boys of a different age. They had stories of pirates, heroic tales of valor and suggestions for activities that would appeal to any boy. It seems that books like this were all the rage once upon a time. Children needed to entertain themselves and this type of book gave them the suggestions they needed to keep busy.The Dangerous Book for Boys looks just like those old books I uncovered. It is hardcover and over-sized with old-school gold printing on the cover. Even the inside covers are covered with that old marbled paper that used to adorn books. It looks like a relic of days gone by and that is clearly exactly as the authors want it. Already a runaway bestseller in Britain, the book has recently been Americanized and launched to great acclaim here in North America where the publisher expects to sell several million copies.The book is for boys. Most girls will find little to enjoy and very little to inspire them. It is dangerous only to companies like Sony and Nintendo (and perhaps the occasional rabbit) as it teaches boys to love the outdoors and to use their imaginations to see the wonder of the great outdoors. It teaches them what they need to know to be busy, energetic, adventurous boys (which is exactly what God intends for boys!). The chapters read like a list of the things I loved to do and to read as a boy: How to Play Stickball; The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World; Fishing; Table Football; Secret Inks (and no, they don't shy away from suggesting that urine is useful in creating secret messages); Extraordinary Stories; Skipping Stones; Juggling; Insects and Spiders; Books Every Boy Should Read; and on and on through 270 pages.The following brief excerpts will serve to provide an idea of the content. The first two come from a section entitled "Essential Gear" which describes things an adventuresome boy will need to keep in his pockets at all times:Handkerchief - "There are many uses for a piece of cloth, from preventing smoke inhalation or helping with a nosebleed to offering one to a girl when she cries. Big ones can even be made into slings. They're worth having."Needle and thread - "Again, there are a number of useful things you can do with these, from sewing up a wound on an unconscious dog to repairing a torn shirt. Make sure the thread is strong and then it can be used for fishing."Later in the book is a section about how to hunt, clean and cook a rabbit:Skinning the RabbitThis is not a difficult process, though it is a little daunting the first time. If you have a heavy-bladed cleaver, simply chop off the four paws. If you are stuck with only a penknife, break the forearm bones with a quick jerk, then cut the skin around the break in a ring. Remove the head in the same way. A serrated edge will cut through the bones, but a standard kitchen knife is likely to be damaged if used as a chopper.The section discussing girls is not only filled with useful advice, but also downright hilarious. And, in fact, that quirky British humor is in evidence from the first to the last. Like most young boys, the book does not take itself too seriously.Christian parents will want want to be aware of a couple of small concerns. When discussing ancient history and dinosaurs, the book turns, as we'd expect, to evolution as its explanation of the world's origins. Also, while the list of suggested reading is really quite good, it does offer a handful of titles, especially for older boys, that may not be entirely appropriate (such as books by Stephen King). There are a few titles that wouldn't top my list of recommendations. Finally, one of the suggested activities involves role playing games (with Dungeons & Dragons heading the list) and this may make some parents uncomfortable. There is no great cause for concern, though, as the book has far more positives than potential negatives.Books like The Dangerous Book for Boys may be just the antidote we need to see boys begin to break the inactivity that seems to plague so many of them these days. There is something delightfully politically incorrect about a book with instructions on how to kill, skin and cook a rabbit. And for a boy, there is something delightfully challenging about trying it. Bound to be a popular gift item this Christmas (and probably this summer as well), I gladly recommend this book and trust it will drag many boys outside to enjoy the beauty and wonder of nature and to just enjoy being boys. Those childhood years don't last long enough. This book is sure to create many great memories of those years.

You expect an author to defend his own work, but I've never seen it done better than Conn Iggulden does in Amazon's own official editorial review and interview posted right on this product page:"I think we've become aware that the whole 'health and safety' overprotective culture isn't doing our sons any favors. Boys need to learn about risk. They need to fall off things occasionally, or--and this is the important bit--they'll take worse risks on their own. If we do away with challenging playgrounds and cancel school trips for fear of being sued, we don't end up with safer boys--we end up with them walking on train tracks. In the long run, it's not safe at all to keep our boys in the house with a PlayStation. It's not good for their health or their safety."That's it in a nutshell. As some reviewers have had the (there's no other word for it) stupidity to complain about, there's NOTHING in this book that's REALLY dangerous unless you go about it stupidly or carelessly. For example you cannot put someone's eye out with an air rifle unless you, stupidly or carelessly, point it at them (or yourself) first.Other reviewers have suggested buying other books instead. Fine and dandy, many of their suggestions have merit, but why do they have to be "instead"? For example a boy who is really into building things and would not be intimidated by very detailed instructions and diagrams might prefer something like The Boy Mechanic: 200 Classic Things to Build, but boys who are being allowed to use Daddy's tools for the first time might prefer to start with the simpler projects in here.Joining the Boy Scouts and buying the current edition of the Boy Scout Handbook is another great suggestion, but why does it have to be "instead"? A Boy Scout could get a lot of good things out of this book, and joining the Boy Scouts is going to be a much larger investment in money (and time) than buying this book.Some reviewers have complained about the fact that it is intended for boys. Not to be politically incorrect, but let's face reality here: most boys but only some girls are going to be interested in this sort of book, and those girls who ARE going to be interested in this sort of book will absolutely LOVE the fact that it is intended for the boys they will be attempting to outdo at the activities described herein.Some reviewers have complained about it being too "British".Please.I only wish it were possible to purchase the British editions easily and at a reasonable price (or at least SEE what was taken out); I'm rather curious.Finally, some reviewers have complained about what was left out, and most of the things they complain about being left out arguably should have been included. However, if all of the things that shouldn't have been left out HAD been included, this would have been a hundred volume set.Those interested in further books in this series or in the companion series for girls are directed here: The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do, The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Know, The Dangerous Book for Boys Yearbook, The Dangerous Book of Heroes, The Daring Book for Girls, The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Things to Do, The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Wisdom & Wonder, and The Double-Daring Book for Girls.