1: Party On(?)
This book has eight "Magical" themed parties including an Alchemist's Gathering and an Egyptian Summer Solstice Party. It gives suggestions for costumes, decorations, food and activities. It also includes a story to go along with each theme.I give a LOT of children's parties, most of which include storytelling and crafts. I purchased the book because the kids absolutely loved the ideas in the Book of Wizard Craft by the same authors (which, by the way, I used at several parties in the last year). This one falls short of the Craft book on several counts: While using the same format as the Book of Wizard Craft, this volume has less substance and more fluff. Many of the activities appeared in more complete form the Craft book. The stories are not as well developed and the art is poor. The illustrator, Marla Baggetta, tried to copy Lindy Burnett's style for this volume, but fell short of the freshness and vitality of the illustrations in the Craft book. Double-page spreads for each theme do nothing but act as filler, as does the same wizard's robe which appears in each section and then again in the back of the book with only slight variations in decoration. The wizard "author" mentions in the introduction that it took 600 years to write the Craft book. It's pretty obvious that it didn't take the authors nearly that long to throw together the Party book. If you are specifically looking for ideas for use at a party you might find this book useful. If you are looking for ways to entertain elementary school children for an afternoon or several weeks, purchase the Wizard Craft book.
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