Best Children's Model Building Books
LEGO Chain Reactions is packed full of ideas, instructions, and inspiration for 10 LEGO machines that spin, swing, pivot, roll, lift, and drop. Our team of experts worked with educators and 11-year-olds to invent the machines, then wrote a book that teaches the skills (and some of the physics behind the fun) kids need to create their own amazing chain reaction machines. Includes a 80 page instructional book with Klutz certified crystal-clear instructions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A lot of thought and effort went into the chain reaction concepts and resulting projects. The chain reaction projects aren't that at all. They are challenging in my view mostly because of the need for precision alignment between the paper parts and the Lego motion actuators the kids assemble to create the Chain the Reaction. The greatest joy my grandson experienced (and it was great joy) was the moment the first project functioned properly for the first time after several complete and partial failures (just as his patience was wearing thin) and then joy again once the chain reaction was rehearsed and easily repeatable so as to show his parents without failure. In summary, it appears that, assuming success along the way, the complicated chain reactions are fun for children to assemble, challenging to make fully, reliably functional and thrilling once they work for that first time."
"The Lego pieces supplied are mainly specialty pieces, to complete the machines. so your choices are - (a) buy the book, if you know the recipient has an extensive supply of excess Lego (b) buy the book, and the additional Lego you need (c) buy the book and get creative around what you can substitute for the additional required pieces - (book stacks are suggested in place of the towers, but I think would be unstable and difficult to get the components to align sufficiently for the machine to work)."
"Wow!"
"The second project requires 4 2x1 bricks, 10 3x1 bricks, 6 4x1 bricks "from your collection"."
Advice from LEGO fan builders will encourage you to get creative and have fun building your own LEGO pet, challenging your friends to make the tallest LEGO tower against the clock, creating a LEGO treasure hunt, and more. He has built models for a number of the DK LEGO books, including the LEGO Play and LEGO Awesome Ideas books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Many of the pictures / ideas essentially ask for a whole pile of "special" pieces... We have a ton of legos, but my kids get frustrated when they see pictures and think "but I can't make that..." I tell them to use their imagination, and it works for "some" of them... but still... Also, an "on/off" switch for the timer would be nice..."
"This book has so many neat ideas!"
"This book has been keeping my geeky son busy for hours!"
"Granddaughters enjoy this book."
"We have several other books that the boys enjoy looking at, but my 11 year old really likes this book."
"My son is LOVING this book!"
"My grandson was so excited with this book."
"This is one of the best things I could have bought my 6 year old!"
Travel through the history of architecture in The LEGO Architect . "Stunning...be the Corbusier of LEGO.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I am a huge fan of the “You view it and you do it” genre of LEGO books and Tom Alphin’s The LEGO Architect book is a winner. There’s a small model you can build that illustrates each style, yet it is pretty interesting to just look at the building instructions."
"This has been a great inspiration for my son to dig back into his misc."
"Got this as a gift for our niece, an architect who loves Lego."
"Bought this for my son who loves Legos."
"Much better than the book that comes with the LEGO Architect set."
"This book is beautiful and a great companion to the Lego Architecture book!"
"Very nice."
"Nice brief history of American architecture with tLEGO examples."
Best Children's Clay Craft Books
Clay Lab for Kids features 52 hands-on projects made with clay, all of which get kids working creatively, and thinking three dimensionally.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"With budgets getting smaller and smaller, this has some cost cutting ways to do a clay projects with the kids on a dime if only I were that lucky more like a penny these days."
"This book has a lot of great ideas."
"This book is an excellent resource for educators, parents, camp directors or anyone working with children."
"Easily accessible materials and creative ideas to get kids excited about sculpture!"
"This book, along with a package of polymer clay would make a great gift."
"A must-have book for Art Teachers who love to teach 3-D!"
"I've known Cassie for many years and this book is just a sample of her awesomeness and creativity."
"Like getting new ideas."
Best Model Building
You'll also learn essential building techniques like how to use beams, gears, and connector blocks effectively in your own designs. The EXPLOR3R, a wheeled vehicle that uses sensors to navigate around a room and follow lines The FORMULA EV3 RACE CAR, a streamlined remote-controlled race car ANTY, a six-legged walking creature that adapts its behavior to its surroundings SK3TCHBOT, a robot that lets you play games on the EV3 screen The SNATCH3R, a robotic arm that can autonomously find, grab, lift, and move the infrared beacon LAVA R3X, a humanoid robot that walks and talks. Each chapter contains several short challenges, dubbed "discoveries," which are cleverly accompanied by a legend: whimsical gear wheels represent the estimated amount of building time; tiny Microsoft Windows-esque blocks show the expected level of programming expertise; and a small clock estimates the length of time it should take to solve the challenge. The size, advanced vocabulary, and organization of the book evokes a science or physics textbook, which is warranted due to the amount of complex and detailed programming information contained within.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is super for those who want to understand this Lego Robot machine and programming better."
"As to the educational version vs the home version..... The educational packs has all of the motors and sensors of the home version with two exceptions: the remote control sensor and related beacon. There may be a few add'l pieces that we'll need in the future to build all of the projects in this book, but we are 1/4 the way thru and haven't found them. The author has also kindly responded to specific questions (relating to education vs home versions), and has been quite helpful."
"Outstanding book I love the paper edition but also bought the Kindle edition too!"
"My grandson has built just about every project in the book and he loves it."
"I bought the book (and the Mindstorms kit) for my grandsons, but first I wanted to build one of the robots in the book and to do some programming for it in case I needed to help my grandsons with the versions they build."
"The book includes 132 practice modules spread throughout the chapters which allow for an iterative process of learning. My two sons and I (ages 9 and 11) are separately going through the book and practice/design modules with each of us tracking our progress on a tracking sheet."
"The book gives you all the information you need to understand the LabView environment and each of the basic programming blocks."
"Fantastic and thorough book."
Best Children's Craft & Hobby Books
LEGO Chain Reactions is packed full of ideas, instructions, and inspiration for 10 LEGO machines that spin, swing, pivot, roll, lift, and drop. Our team of experts worked with educators and 11-year-olds to invent the machines, then wrote a book that teaches the skills (and some of the physics behind the fun) kids need to create their own amazing chain reaction machines. Includes a 80 page instructional book with Klutz certified crystal-clear instructions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A lot of thought and effort went into the chain reaction concepts and resulting projects. The chain reaction projects aren't that at all. They are challenging in my view mostly because of the need for precision alignment between the paper parts and the Lego motion actuators the kids assemble to create the Chain the Reaction. The greatest joy my grandson experienced (and it was great joy) was the moment the first project functioned properly for the first time after several complete and partial failures (just as his patience was wearing thin) and then joy again once the chain reaction was rehearsed and easily repeatable so as to show his parents without failure. In summary, it appears that, assuming success along the way, the complicated chain reactions are fun for children to assemble, challenging to make fully, reliably functional and thrilling once they work for that first time."
"The Lego pieces supplied are mainly specialty pieces, to complete the machines. so your choices are - (a) buy the book, if you know the recipient has an extensive supply of excess Lego (b) buy the book, and the additional Lego you need (c) buy the book and get creative around what you can substitute for the additional required pieces - (book stacks are suggested in place of the towers, but I think would be unstable and difficult to get the components to align sufficiently for the machine to work)."
"Wow!"
"The second project requires 4 2x1 bricks, 10 3x1 bricks, 6 4x1 bricks "from your collection"."
Best Children's Arts, Music & Photography Books
Giraffes Can't Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance. Giles Andreae is the award-winning author of numerous children's books, including K IS FOR KISSING A COOL KANGAROO and THE CHIMPANZEES OF HAPPYTOWN.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"And I want him to be able to see that it's possible too, because I know sometimes it can be hard, especially when you're in therapy all the time and therapy is all about what's not going well and what's not going like normal, so I truly think this book has great value especially for kiddos who may struggle to do things the way other people "normally" do."
"I first read this book in a toddler book club when I was a nanny, I now read this book to my own children."
"Got this for my niece and I feel like I have way too much in common with Gerald the Giraffe."
"Great book to teach little ones to essentially march/dance to the rhythm of their own drum."
"Their love of books is amazing versus hand held techno device!!!!"
"Paired this with a stuffed, soft giraffe animal and made a great gift."
"Gave as a gift with a stuffed plush giraffe and it was a hit with the toddler and his parents."
"My 2 year old cannot get enough of this book!"
Best Children's Physics Books
Includes a 80 page instructional book with Klutz certified crystal-clear instructions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A lot of thought and effort went into the chain reaction concepts and resulting projects. The chain reaction projects aren't that at all. They are challenging in my view mostly because of the need for precision alignment between the paper parts and the Lego motion actuators the kids assemble to create the Chain the Reaction. The greatest joy my grandson experienced (and it was great joy) was the moment the first project functioned properly for the first time after several complete and partial failures (just as his patience was wearing thin) and then joy again once the chain reaction was rehearsed and easily repeatable so as to show his parents without failure. In summary, it appears that, assuming success along the way, the complicated chain reactions are fun for children to assemble, challenging to make fully, reliably functional and thrilling once they work for that first time."
"The Lego pieces supplied are mainly specialty pieces, to complete the machines. so your choices are - (a) buy the book, if you know the recipient has an extensive supply of excess Lego (b) buy the book, and the additional Lego you need (c) buy the book and get creative around what you can substitute for the additional required pieces - (book stacks are suggested in place of the towers, but I think would be unstable and difficult to get the components to align sufficiently for the machine to work)."
"Wow!"
"The second project requires 4 2x1 bricks, 10 3x1 bricks, 6 4x1 bricks "from your collection"."
Best Children's Science Education books
LEGO Chain Reactions is packed full of ideas, instructions, and inspiration for 10 LEGO machines that spin, swing, pivot, roll, lift, and drop. Our team of experts worked with educators and 11-year-olds to invent the machines, then wrote a book that teaches the skills (and some of the physics behind the fun) kids need to create their own amazing chain reaction machines. Includes a 80 page instructional book with Klutz certified crystal-clear instructions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A lot of thought and effort went into the chain reaction concepts and resulting projects. The chain reaction projects aren't that at all. They are challenging in my view mostly because of the need for precision alignment between the paper parts and the Lego motion actuators the kids assemble to create the Chain the Reaction. The greatest joy my grandson experienced (and it was great joy) was the moment the first project functioned properly for the first time after several complete and partial failures (just as his patience was wearing thin) and then joy again once the chain reaction was rehearsed and easily repeatable so as to show his parents without failure. In summary, it appears that, assuming success along the way, the complicated chain reactions are fun for children to assemble, challenging to make fully, reliably functional and thrilling once they work for that first time."
"The Lego pieces supplied are mainly specialty pieces, to complete the machines. so your choices are - (a) buy the book, if you know the recipient has an extensive supply of excess Lego (b) buy the book, and the additional Lego you need (c) buy the book and get creative around what you can substitute for the additional required pieces - (book stacks are suggested in place of the towers, but I think would be unstable and difficult to get the components to align sufficiently for the machine to work)."
"Wow!"
"The second project requires 4 2x1 bricks, 10 3x1 bricks, 6 4x1 bricks "from your collection"."
Best Children's Computer Hardware & Robotics Books
You'll also learn essential building techniques like how to use beams, gears, and connector blocks effectively in your own designs. The EXPLOR3R, a wheeled vehicle that uses sensors to navigate around a room and follow lines The FORMULA EV3 RACE CAR, a streamlined remote-controlled race car ANTY, a six-legged walking creature that adapts its behavior to its surroundings SK3TCHBOT, a robot that lets you play games on the EV3 screen The SNATCH3R, a robotic arm that can autonomously find, grab, lift, and move the infrared beacon LAVA R3X, a humanoid robot that walks and talks. Each chapter contains several short challenges, dubbed "discoveries," which are cleverly accompanied by a legend: whimsical gear wheels represent the estimated amount of building time; tiny Microsoft Windows-esque blocks show the expected level of programming expertise; and a small clock estimates the length of time it should take to solve the challenge. The size, advanced vocabulary, and organization of the book evokes a science or physics textbook, which is warranted due to the amount of complex and detailed programming information contained within.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is super for those who want to understand this Lego Robot machine and programming better."
"As to the educational version vs the home version..... The educational packs has all of the motors and sensors of the home version with two exceptions: the remote control sensor and related beacon. There may be a few add'l pieces that we'll need in the future to build all of the projects in this book, but we are 1/4 the way thru and haven't found them. The author has also kindly responded to specific questions (relating to education vs home versions), and has been quite helpful."
"Outstanding book I love the paper edition but also bought the Kindle edition too!"
"My grandson has built just about every project in the book and he loves it."
"I bought the book (and the Mindstorms kit) for my grandsons, but first I wanted to build one of the robots in the book and to do some programming for it in case I needed to help my grandsons with the versions they build."
"The book includes 132 practice modules spread throughout the chapters which allow for an iterative process of learning. My two sons and I (ages 9 and 11) are separately going through the book and practice/design modules with each of us tracking our progress on a tracking sheet."
"The book gives you all the information you need to understand the LabView environment and each of the basic programming blocks."
"Fantastic and thorough book."
Best Crafts, Hobbies & Home
By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper , they have become America’s new best friends. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garners the attention of a television producer who notices her work on a blog one day. The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping baby Joanna’s agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their children When Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreck Joanna’s breakthrough moment of discovering the secret to creating a beautiful home Harrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial couple Memories and photos from Chip and Jo’s wedding The significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they do The way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the way. Chip Gaines and his wife, Joanna Gaines, are co-founders and co-owners of Magnolia Homes, Magnolia Market and Magnolia Realty in Waco, Texas. Hand in hand is exactly how Chip prefers to work, which makes Fixer Upper even more fun to watch, and he enjoys seeing his and Joanna’s passions merge to complement and serve one another.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"They have overcome adversity and have built a life full of love, family, talent, professionalism keeping their faith first and foremost."
"Great reading couldn't put it down made me smile,laugh and see some things in life we all go through similar."
"I have been a huge fan of Joanna and Chip right from the very first show."
"This is a must read for all Fixer Upper fans."
"I found the back story of how the Gaines met, and got started, to be very interesting, and I would recommend this book to others … particularly someone who enjoys the TV show or has a passion for revitalization."
"Reading the history that led to "Fixer Upper" is fascinating, and it just makes me love the Gaineses and the show all the more. So The Magnolia Story is not a literary marvel, but it does appear to be true to who the authors are in real life (or at least on TV)."
"Chip and Joanna serve as role models for a marriage and individuals alike with their kind hearts and loving ways."
"I can't even imagine my husband making those kinds of decisions without my input, but their relationship comes off as very balanced despite these peculiarities."
Best Antique & Collectible Toys
LEGO® Minifigure Year by Year: A Visual History shows the evolution of this classic toy for the first time ever, with exquisite photography and fascinating facts about each and every minifigure included. "[This] book is a nostalgic jump back in time to those childhood figures that we all had.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If the book wasn't enough for you, you also get 3 iconic mini-figures with the book to add to your Lego Collection!"
"The book is filled with pictures and information of Lego figures of all kinds and years past."
"hello, this book was a gift for an avid (AVID) lego fan and builder since he graduated from the lego duplo series in the 70's."
"We have checked this book out so many times from the library."
"I bought this Lego book for my son who is a lover of Lego and of mini figures. I've purchased many of the Lego books for him over the years."
"I bought this as a Christmas gift for my nephew."
"Though my son will still love the book, shoppers should be aware of the fact that they may received a version slightly different from the one pictured."
"Not only that, it comes with 3 mini figures as well."
Best Architecture Study & Teaching
In fact, that's the single biggest reason that there are so many remodeling horror stories. You will learn how to identify and select the perfect professional remodeler for your project, save thousands of dollars in the process, and preserve your sanity too. Everything needed for a successful professional remodeling experience is inside! Jannine Wooten - Real Estate Investor, Remodeler "Spend a few dollars on this book, there's a good chance you will get it back 100-fold." Ray Brehm - #1 Bestselling Author & Entrpreneur "Molinelli's enthusiasm for the subject shines through on every page of this invaluable guide, and it's quite infectious."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In this easy reading instructional manual, Jim Molinelli lays out a concise method for keeping sanity during a remodeling project."
"Jim’s book is full of great information that guides you through the process from beginning to end."
"Undoubtedly THE book to get even if you think you might possibly sometime in the future hypothetically consider remodeling."
"Great book and well done."
"I'd have saved a lot of money and made a lot more when I sold."
"This book gives guidance on how to find reputable contractors (and it's not by using the popular advertised sites)."
"As a women owning 2 homes there is always something to fix, never mind remodeling to just update!"
"Very, Very informative."
Best Architectural History
Travel through the history of architecture in The LEGO Architect . "Stunning...be the Corbusier of LEGO.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"THIS is the book that SHOULD HAVE come with my LEGO Architecture Studio set!"
"I am a huge fan of the “You view it and you do it” genre of LEGO books and Tom Alphin’s The LEGO Architect book is a winner. There’s a small model you can build that illustrates each style, yet it is pretty interesting to just look at the building instructions."
"A nice book for kids and adults learning to work with architectural Lego."
"This has been a great inspiration for my son to dig back into his misc."
"good book if you like design, most models can be done with the lego architecture studio set, which is a big plus."
"Got this as a gift for our niece, an architect who loves Lego."
"Fun book with step by step instructions on most of the pictures."
"Bought this for my son who loves Legos."
Best Robotics
You'll also learn essential building techniques like how to use beams, gears, and connector blocks effectively in your own designs. The EXPLOR3R, a wheeled vehicle that uses sensors to navigate around a room and follow lines The FORMULA EV3 RACE CAR, a streamlined remote-controlled race car ANTY, a six-legged walking creature that adapts its behavior to its surroundings SK3TCHBOT, a robot that lets you play games on the EV3 screen The SNATCH3R, a robotic arm that can autonomously find, grab, lift, and move the infrared beacon LAVA R3X, a humanoid robot that walks and talks. Each chapter contains several short challenges, dubbed "discoveries," which are cleverly accompanied by a legend: whimsical gear wheels represent the estimated amount of building time; tiny Microsoft Windows-esque blocks show the expected level of programming expertise; and a small clock estimates the length of time it should take to solve the challenge. The size, advanced vocabulary, and organization of the book evokes a science or physics textbook, which is warranted due to the amount of complex and detailed programming information contained within.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is super for those who want to understand this Lego Robot machine and programming better."
"As to the educational version vs the home version..... The educational packs has all of the motors and sensors of the home version with two exceptions: the remote control sensor and related beacon. There may be a few add'l pieces that we'll need in the future to build all of the projects in this book, but we are 1/4 the way thru and haven't found them. The author has also kindly responded to specific questions (relating to education vs home versions), and has been quite helpful."
"Outstanding book I love the paper edition but also bought the Kindle edition too!"
"My grandson has built just about every project in the book and he loves it."
"I bought the book (and the Mindstorms kit) for my grandsons, but first I wanted to build one of the robots in the book and to do some programming for it in case I needed to help my grandsons with the versions they build."
"The book includes 132 practice modules spread throughout the chapters which allow for an iterative process of learning. My two sons and I (ages 9 and 11) are separately going through the book and practice/design modules with each of us tracking our progress on a tracking sheet."
"The book gives you all the information you need to understand the LabView environment and each of the basic programming blocks."
"Fantastic and thorough book."