The Art of Silliness Review and Giveaway

We'll be taking a few long trips over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and now that my kids are older, I've stopped stressing out about occupying their time.  Well, sort of.  They're old enough to amuse themselves on a 6-hour car trip or 12-hour plane ride -- the problem is, their preferred form of amusement is likely to involve a screen and batteries.

It's not that I'm against videogames or any form of electronic entertainment, it's just that for trips that long, I don't think it's healthy to be staring at a screen the whole time!  So I have to make sure they balance their time between watching movies or playing electronic games and reading a book, drawing, solving a crossword puzzle or just staring out the window and daydreaming.  Come to think of it, I probably need to do that for myself as well!  My kids aren't the only ones known to stare at a screen for hours on end :)

One book that's going to make it easier for me to do just that is illustrator Carla Sonheim's new book, The Art of Silliness, which goes on sale tomorrow, November 6.  It's an activity book that lets everyone rediscover their creative side through fun doodles and drawings.  Each page has a different creative drawing challenge.  Some test your motor skills, like drawing a bicycle without lifting your pencil from paper, or drawing something with your non-dominant hand.  Some test your memory, like  drawing something from memory, or drawing something with your eyes closed.  Some test your imagination, like finishing a doodle or blob.

I loved drawing as a child, so this book was perfect for me.  My kids also like to draw, so we are all enjoying the book.  3Po wants everyone to do the activities on separate sheets of paper instead of drawing directly in the book, so we can keep doing each activity forever :)

What a great way to rediscover your creativity and spend some quality time with your kids! Something tells me that for this holiday trip, our journey might be almost as fun as our destination.


About the book
THE ART OF SILLINESS offers dozens of fun, engaging ideas and activities that will encourage all readers to rediscover the childlike joys of letting the imagination – and pencil – roam freely. Whether you want to jumpstart, rediscover or further your creative pursuits, this book will help you flex your creative muscles. From drawing upside down to imagining new worlds, THE ART OF SILLINESS will inspire everyone to get in touch with their creative side.
Examples include:

“Draw a dog pretending to be a horse pretending to be a chicken.”
“Scribble all over these two pages for five minutes straight.”
“Draw five bicycles from your imagination, using only one line.”


Win The Art of Silliness
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a copy of Carla Sondheim's The Art of Silliness.


Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me how you or your kids like to pass the time in a plane or car.

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RT @bonggafinds Enter to win The Art of Silliness drawing and doodle book ! Giveaway ends Nov. 26 at http://ow.ly/f2e8J  #giveaways

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on November 26, 2012; I will draw a winner at random on November 27 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy of the book to review courtesy of the Penguin Group. Giveaway prize was also provided by the Penguin Group.  Product information (in italics) is provided by the Penguin Group.. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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