If you are trying to learn how to yo-yo FOR THE FIRST TIME, then this is a good book for you. Advanced spinners shouldn't consider this book at all (if you know what a lindy loop is, you're advanced). I've mastered tricks like atom smasher and barrel rolls and am now working on pop-up tricks and I find this book almost common sense. if you can do braintwisters and other tricks of that level, there isn't much for you to learn from this book.

This book is a good one for beginners, offering basic tricks, tips, and history. Unfortunately, most beginners aren't serious enough about yo-yoing to buy a book. If you can't do a braintwister, this is a good buy; if you can, learn tougher tricks from websites like Cosmic Yo-Yo, 3D Smarty Pants, and Sector Y.

In conclusion, first timers should get this book, but spin masters shouldn't.

There are a lot of Yo-Yo trick books on the market, but this one stands apart from the rest. The chapters on History, Types of Yo-Yos and Maintenance are great! The illustrations are great - tricks are explained using color photos.

The history section has information I've not seen anywhere else, and the maintenance section covers fixed axle yo-yos as well as transaxle yo-yos. I found the Science chapter very informative and entertaining. The zoetrope of "Time Warp" was a nice touch too.

I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning to yo-yo. Tricks go from the very basic one handed tricks to advanced two handed tricks. Tricks are explained in easy language and are graded according to difficulty (very helpful for the beginner looking to learn some new tricks).

The book gives a very good introduction to making all kinds of balloon "figures". The directions are clear and easy to follow. My six year old can successfully make items rated 1 and 2 (e.g. the dog and the house) while my nine-year old successfully made something rated a three.

I have two gripes with the book. First, after a long spiel explaining why you should buy good quality balloons, they simply state that you can balloons from party stores or the internet. Now, while the balloons that come with the kit are okay, you as a buyer end up just buying balloons by trial and error until you find a good source. Fortunately, these balloons are available in several places so I am sure we will find a good supplier over time.

Second, I was extremely disappointed in the poor quality of the "pump" that came with the kit. It's sharp lip tends to tear the balloons that were supplied with the kit; it takes a while to inflate the balloons using the pump; and since you do not want to go past the sharp lip, once you are done inflating the balloon, you end up struggling to tie a knot at the end of the balloon. We remedied the problem by buying a very easy to use balloon pump from Wal-Mart for under $$$. If only the authors had included a better pump, this kit would have ended up with a 5 star rating instead of the three stars that it is getting right now.

Rated separately, the book would get a 5 star while the kit (the pump and balloons) would get 1.5 or 2 stars (the pump obviously lowered the rating).

As a professional clown, I am constantly in search of books and tapes that can help me improve my balloon twisting skills. The instructions in this book are both clear and concise. All terms used are defined. I was delighted to find easy to follow directions for a dinosaur! Up until now, I always told the kids that you can't make a dinosaur from a balloon.

I had gotten the balloon animals and more balloon animals books and had gotten good at making those characters, so I thought I'd give this book a try. It's terrible. Compared to the previously mentioned books, the instructions are awful and the guides miserable. Avoid this one. ...

This book tries to cover a lot of ground with only a few pages. The result is a cursory look into the art of balloon sculpting. It contains a brief section a few basic twists (fold, pop, tulip, ear...) then proceeds into a nice little section with some basic and some advanced animals (Dog, Horse, pig, cat, teddy bear, dragonfly- my favorite, dragon, stegasaurus, scorpion, and a very basic fish.) Following the animals the book goes into basic flowers, palm tree, and the tulip. Next is a small section containing the motorcycle, airplane, spaceship and "silly figures" which is basically a latex glove and a sharpie marker. This is followed by basic decorating items, chains, braids, a nice spider and web, and a decent decorating flower. Then there is the section with basic hats and some fun ideas for baloon costumes for children. The book ends with some ideas for baloon playhouses which are simple cubes made with the larger 350 balloons. It also contains some games such as the ring toss and a nifty trick with clear baloons and small loose balloons inside them. All in all it is a great resource for beginners, but those with more experience will find over half the book useless unless you want to pick up a few new twists and don't mind the price. If you're just starting out then this is a great introduction book. Even if it doesn't contain the essential Toe Twist.

I started twisting at my child's birthday party and, now I'm hooked. I wanted a book with good illustrations and instructions, and this is it. It has 5 difficulty levels and special tecniques.I don't have all the balloon sizes needed , but most items are made with 260 's(the regular long twisty balloons.)I have not been able to make the two-balloon headband, and I can't figure out why. It's only a level one, but it won't stay together. My cousin, who has a Harley, liked the motorcycle (it's a level 5 ).The flower and sword are repeats from another book, but these are more detailed. Have Fun !!!

This is a paperback reprint, with no revision, of the out-of-print hardback "Fun With Your Microscope", published in 1998. The same authors published "The Microscope Book" in '96; this one has the same format, length, and publisher, and much of the content is similar. It's not clear if this is intended as a revision, since the earlier book isn't even cited. This one has less information on the microscope itself and the same useful advice on specimen preparation. The three dozen observations are mostly biological. They're illustrated with helpful color micrographs of samples prepared with the simple preparation methods described in the book, but their magnifications are presented in a very confusing manner - and a few are simply incorrect. Although there are Science Fair suggestions, there's no bibliography. The earlier version is a better choice.