About the Holiday

Sure, this month-long holiday is called Read a New Book Month, but what if you’re just itching to draw in a book? Sometimes those empty margins and chapter-opening pages seem to call out for embellishment. That’s where today’s book comes in! Every page (yes, every page!) invites kids to get out their colored pencils, markers, and crayons to add their own creative flair to make it truly their own.

Thanks to Cicada Books for sharing a digital copy of Wowee Zowee: a flight of imagination with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Wowee Zowee: a flight of imagination

By Jurg Lindenberger

A child’s imagination is boundless – and so is their desire to find lots of different ways to express it. In Wowee Zowee: a flight of imagination, Jurg Lindenberger gives kids a ticket to travel to wacky worlds where they get to do all sorts of things, like stock the shelves of silly stores, wind their way through the maze that is Megaburb, design cozy outfits for staying warm while skiing in Frostonika, and create delicious drinks to sip while lounging on the beach of LazyIsle.

Copyright Jurg Lindenberger, 2022, courtesy of Cicada Books.

All along the way, from packing a suitcase and navigating Catwick Airport to getting onboard the pencil plane and touching down in Vectoland, Fruitnveg Megaburb, Frostonika, LazyIsle, Olde-Forest, and Crystal Castles, whimsical friends greet readers with enthusiastic smiles and humorous comments.

Copyright Jurg Lindenberger, 2022, courtesy of Cicada Books.

A friendly narrator also keeps up a running conversation with kids that prompts them to add people, things, and even themselves to the pages. There are mazes, search-and-find and find-the-differences puzzles, a color-by-number scene, and many other ways for kids to stretch their creativity while being entertained to boot. 

Copyright Jurg Lindenberger, 2022, courtesy of Cicada Books.

Jurg Lindenberger knows what will get kids giggling and drawing, and his easy comical flair makes every page fun (with even a little geometry thrown in). Wowee Zowee: a flight of imagination is a perfect stowaway for trips by train, plane, or automobile to make those miles fly by as well as an engaging way to keep kids busy on rainy days or at the kitchen table and family room during relaxing time. 

Ages 4 – 11

Cicada Books, 2022 | ISBN 978-1800660106

Read a New Book Month Activity

Head in the Clouds Biplane

If you love airplanes and flying, you’ll have fun making your own plane from recycled materials! Use your creativity to decorate your plane while you imagine yourself flying through the clouds on a beautiful day. Younger children will have fun sharing this activity with an adult or older sibling too!

Supplies

• Travel-size toothpaste box
• 3 6-inch x 1/2-inch craft sticks
• 2  2 1/2-inch x 7/8-inch mini craft sticks
• 5 Round toothpicks, with points cut off
• Paint in whatever colors you like for your design
• 4 small buttons
• 2 mini buttons
• Paint brushes
• Strong glue or glue gun

Directions

1. Empty toothpaste box
2. Paint toothpaste box and decorate it
3. Paint the craft sticks and 5 toothpicks
4. Paint one small craft stick to be the propeller
5. Let all objects dry

To assemble the biplane

1. For the Bottom Wing – Glue one 6-inch-long craft stick to the bottom of the plane about 1 inch from the end of the box that is the front of the plane
2. For the Top Wing – Glue the other 6-inch-long craft stick to the top of the plane about 1 inch from the front of the plane
3. For the Tail – Glue one mini craft stick to the bottom of the box about ¾ inches from the end that is the back of the plane
4. For the Vertical Rudder – Cut the end from one of the painted 6-inch-long craft sticks, glue this to the back of the box, placing it perpendicular against the edge and half-way between each side

To assemble the front wheels

1. Cut 4 painted toothpicks to a length of ¾-inches long
2. Cut one painted toothpick to a length of 1-inch long
3. Glue 2 of the 3/4-inch toothpicks to the back of 1 button, the ends of the toothpicks on the button should be touching and the other end apart so the toothpicks form a V
4. Repeat the above step for the other wheel
5. Let the glue dry
6. Glue the 1-inch long toothpick between the wheels at the center of each wheel to keep them together and give them stability. Let dry

To make the back wheel

1. Cut two ¼-inch lengths of painted toothpick and glue them together. Let dry
2. Glue two mini buttons together to form the back wheel. Let dry
3. Glue the ¼-inch toothpicks to the mini buttons. Let dry
4. Glue these to the bottom of the plane in the center of the box directly in front of and touching the tail

Display your biplane!

You can find Wowee Zowee: a flight of imagination at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

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