SUNDAY FUNDAY

An activity for each weekend of the year will keep kids busy crafting, cooking, gardening, and exploring, either by themselves or with family or friends.

While the activities aren’t one-offs that can’t be found in other books, the collection’s strengths are its wide range of pursuits, its four-season focus, and the varying time investments of the different activities (from minutes to months). Busy weekend? How about practicing a few yoga poses or making grilled cheese or smoothies? Wide-open calendar? You might break ground and plant seeds for a nature fort or make quiche (with homemade crust!). But the book’s weaknesses are also numerous. Many of the pursuits require access to green space where things can be planted, picked, or composted, leaving out those living in cities and/or rentals. The directions are not always easy to understand or illustrated in the pictures—many just show final results. Grown-ups are enlisted to handle hot and sharp things and supervise around water, but this isn’t always noted for each activity or shown in the art. And rarely are kids told how to identify/avoid poisonous flowers or plants. Verona’s digital illustrations are notable both for the seasonal signs and colors of nature they include and for the diversity of the cast in terms of race, age, and ability.

A serviceable assortment of activities that can be done year-round.