Ratings1
Average rating4
A great handwriting practice book for all kids, regardless of their reading and writing skill. Well-organized and full of fun phrases and affirming sentences for a range of abilities, with standard handwriting practice lines for each exercise. Three sections for kids to trace and copy, simply copy, and finally free-write are full of fun, different spelling words, and excellent writing prompts.
In the first section, once a child has practiced a single letter in upper- and lower-case for a full page, clever alliterative phrases follow. Imaginatively picturesque phrases like “elegant elephant,” “invisible ingredient,” and “wacky welcome” will produce some giggles, and parents and teachers will be happy to see positive reinforcement of good manners and kind words in practice lines like “exercise every day,” “have high hopes,” “mother, may I?” and “that takes talent.”
Each page in the second section, where learners copy only, is themed. A visit to the circus (“Hello, ringmaster.”), pool parties (“Is diving allowed?”), favorite colors, pets, school, and more mean lots of specialized vocabulary learning along with the handwriting practice.
Finally, the third section has 65 writing prompts for the learner to produce their own, personal writing, practicing their handwriting and creativity when answering questions like “Describe your favorite game,” “Imagine a city that you'd like to visit [and] [d]escribe it.”, and “Describe something that you wish you could do better.” Prompts vary from statements of favorites to more introspective “why” questions that older learners will enjoy sharing.
Because of the way the first two sections of this book are laid out, this would make a great resource for teachers to photocopy for use in class. Pages have a nice wide margin that makes copying much easier. This book will be going to my 7-year-old nephew, and I am looking forward to hear what he comes up with once he gets to the writing prompts, and to seeing his handwriting progress as he uses the book.
Thank you to Goodreads and author Julie Harper for the review copy.