The art of stone skipping and other fun old-time games Stoopball, jacks, string games, coin flipping, line baseball, jump rope, and more

Gr 3-6-This interactive manual is fun to read and even more fun to put into practice. From hopscotch to dodge ball, jacks to solitaire, and string games to memory games, all types of activities are included. Games to play with a ball, with cards, in a car on the go, alone, or in a group are all here to be enjoyed. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. There are also historical and factual asides for many of the entries. Some include variations on the main game or alternate names for the activity that have been used through the years. The illustrations depict children demonstrating a particular aspect of a game or just enjoying themselves playing. This is a great resource for parents and teachers, as well as for children.-Cynde Suite, Bartow County Library System, Adairsville, GA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ferrer transports readers to a time gone by, when stoopball and jacks, string games and stickball, hopscotch and marbles were the staples of childhood. As Ferrer notes in his introduction, games have been a part of childhood since the beginning of time, helping children "learn new skills, discover unknown strengths, and build peer relations--which translates directly into solving problems, creating solutions, and becoming a good team player." Divided into seven sections, the text covers all sorts of games in all sorts of venues: ball, brain, solitary, car, card, group and partner. The format puts the name of the game (and its aliases), number of players, object and materials needed right at readers' fingertips, summarizing the basic rules in an easy-to-follow paragraph and listing any additional rules, hints or tips in separate, bulleted sections. Most include variations to either modify the challenge or offer variety. "Fun Facts" sections are set off in black and scattered throughout, providing background on many old favorites (Bingo was invented in 1500s Italy), as well as some fascinating factoids (the stone-skipping world record is 51 skips!). Grayscale drawings break up the text and help illuminate some of the more difficult activities (string games, yo-yo tricks), though they also introduce a measure of modernity to what is largely a retro-themed book. A wonderful resource for households, schools, Scouting groups and other organizations catering to kids. (index) (Nonfiction. 5 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Archaeologists have found enough carved wooden game pieces, leather balls, and clay dice to prove that playing games has been a part of every civilization since the beginning of time. Even in cultures where children were expected to work alongside adults rather than play freely, kids have always turned to games for fun and recreation, whether competing against friends or simply challenging themselves. We know from artifacts that children were playing board games in China as early as 2000 BC, marbles in Greece by 400 BC, and ball in Egypt by 2 BC. Balls may well be the oldest of all toys. Early ones were made from strips of leather, cloth, or papyrus sewn together, then stuffed with hair, feathers, or straw. Balls were also made from animal skulls and bladders and, in some cultures, even the heads of enemies! Simple games of catch, in which one child threw a ball up in the air and caught it or two children tossed a ball back and forth to each other, probably happened as soon as Cain and Abel were old enough to walk. But history tells us that the first "organized" ball games happened in Mexico nearly four thousand years ago, with teams of two to six players trying to get a really heavy ball across their opponents' goal line. Ball games weren't always just for fun, though: Sometimes they had religious purposes, and sometimes the losing team lost their heads as well as the game! Excerpted from The Art of Stone Skipping and Other Fun Old-Time Games: Stoop Ball, Jacks, Yo-Yo'S, Cats Cradle, Coin Flipping, Line Baseball, Jump Rope, and More by J. J. Ferrar, J. J. Ferrer All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.