Fiction Tuesday - Gift ideas!

Dancers Among Us: The mystery of the body in motion. The surprise of seeing what seems impossible. And the pure, joyful optimism of it all. Dancers Among Us presents one thrilling photograph after another of dancers leaping, spinning, lifting, kicking—but in the midst of daily life: on the beach, at a construction site, in a library, a restaurant, a park. With each image the reader feels buoyed up, eager to see the next bit of magic.

Photographer Jordan Matter started his Dancers Among Us Project by asking a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company to dance for him in a place where dance is unexpected. So, dressed in a commuter’s suit and tie, the dancer flew across a Times Square subway platform. And in that image Matter found what he’d been searching for: a way to express the feeling of being fully alive in the moment, unself-conscious, present.

Organized around themes of work, play, love, exploration, dreaming, and more, Dancers Among Us celebrates life in a way that’s fresh, surprising, original, universal. There’s no photoshopping here, no trampolines, no gimmicks, no tricks. Just a photographer, his vision, and the serendipity of what happens when the shutter clicks.

Reycled Robots: 10 robot projects: Robots and kids: a perfect combination. From R2-D2 to the Transformers to WALL-E, robots are a source of endless fascination. Now comes an irresistible book and kit that shows how to make ten different robots—that move—out of the most ordinary things from around the house. By delivering an experience that’s so much richer than putting together a model, this book gets to the essence of creativity and imaginative problem-solving and shows how to be an inventor, designer, and engineer all in one.

Created by robot expert Robert Malone, chairman of the Automation Hall of Fame, the plans are ingenious and include a materials list (rounding it up is like a treasure hunt!) plus step-by-step directions illustrated with detailed, full-color photographs. The kit includes all the essential accessories: a battery-operated motor and two windup walkers, plus templates, dowels, beads, wire, mounting squares—and googly eyes.

Transform a leftover action figure into Armorbot. Start with a few paper cups, and presto, Cupbot. Repurpose cardboard boxes and tubes into the endlessly adaptable Boxbot—it even has a rotating head. From the tiny Hopbot—put it on the floor and you’ll see how it got its name—to giant Styrobot, here are ten plans to make a roomful of robotic wonders.

The Fashion Designer's Handbook: Young girls love fashion. They love Project Runway. They love expressing themselves through what they wear. And they want to be fashion designers. It’s the No. 1 dream job for girls ages 8 to 12, according to The New York Times. Here in one kit is everything a girl needs to know to start designing and sewing clothes—a lively, full-color book that comes with a doll-size dress form, 24 reusable patterns, rick rack, embroidery thread, a tape measure, and a piece of fabric printed in three vibrant patterns.

The Fashion Designer’s Handbook and Fashion Kit features 33 projects that range from super easy dresses for 11 1⁄2-inch fashion dolls (including Barbie) all the way to “girl-size” projects for the designer to make and wear herself. It shows how to think and work like a designer—from finding inspiration to sketching to developing a personal style. Getting to know fabrics, fibers, and materials; working with patterns; and creating original designs using the dress form.

The Mod Mini 1-2-3 Skirt. The No-Sew Sock Dress. Little Red Cape and Coco Jacket. Every project is clearly explained in step-by-step instructions and requires little to no adult help.

Star Wars Origami : Everything you need to create a galaxy of Star Wars characters, shps, droids, weapons, and more. Includes 72 sheets of specially designed Star Wars origami paper.