The Curious Guide to Things That Aren't: Things you can't always touch, see, or hear. Can you guess what they are? Hardcover – November 7, 2016

This was a fun read with my kids. It was a thoughtful book, imaginative and creative. So many books for kids are fantasy, or tied to some Hollywood franchise, but this is fresh, purposeful and engaging. The illustrations fit well with the flow of words. I would highly recommend this book.

A fun little add in to our morning time with our homeschool routine ever few days we do one topic with my elementary age kids.

The Curious Guide to Things That Aren't is a wonderfully playful, imaginative book -- terrific for the young child who loves teasers or ticklers of the imagination, or perfect for the growing child who should learn to think more creatively. John Fixx follows in the footsteps of his father, author Jim Fixx ( The Complete Book of Running , Games for the Superintelligent ) in writing a book that helps both children and adults see the world in new ways. This is such a fun book because it involves the reader -- both child and parent -- in the process of reading. As you read about each "thing that isn't," you are at first stumped, then you might guess and say "aha!," and then you learn the many other dimensions of that "thing" -- the many other ways of seeing what isn't there. Like Jim Fixx's books, this is a book about possibilities, and like his father's books, this is a book that teaches -- and the author's clear pleasure in teaching the reader is infectious. Such a great gift for a child (and the parent!) who loves the world of imagination.

This book is a high-quality book that young children of different ages will enjoy. The format of the book consists of going through the alphabet, with one word for each letter. A 2-page spread then give clues to the word, with the next 2 pages showing the answer, an illustration of the answer, and a detailed description of the answer. The “things that aren’t” refer to the words in the book being abstract or otherwise non-ordinary nouns (love, nap, orbit, etc.) This book is geared towards children ages 7 – 10, but I think both younger and older children will enjoy this book. The clues and words vary in complexity, with “harder” words being interspersed among “easier” words. The illustrations in the book, including at times an illustration as part of the clue, will help keep the attention span of pre-readers listening to the book. The book’s hardback binding is sturdy and will stand up to frequent use.

The title itself piqued my curiosity and so I got the book. I can tell an educator wrote it because it's entertaining and educational. Each page encourages children to practice their logical reasoning skills by guessing the word with clues. Once the word is guessed, the author cleverly builds vocabulary by offering many definitions and entertaining examples of how the word is used. I love the illustrations, too. Kids will relate to the emotions depicted in each picture and adults will be brought back to their childhood with the whimsical drawings. "K" shows a fun picture of a dog licking a boy's face (kiss) and "R" shows a girl pondering her image in a puddle (reflection). The children and I really enjoyed this book and it's sure to become a popular mainstay in my classroom library.

Perfect for mixed ages! This is a great gift idea! I have 3 children mixed ages, from 3-10, and each one loves this book for different reasons. Beautiful, bright illustrations and the riddles keep them wanting to read more. I love the added facts that are included after each riddle. This book is also a wonderful addition to my classroom. I use it for many mini-lessons! Great for teaching abstract nouns, descriptive language, inferring, and more! Highly recommend!

WIse, witty, and a bit wistful "Things That Aren't " is a bewitcing book for children of all ages, includingthose who are grown up. For teachers and parents this is a gift of twenty six alphabetical lessonplans. Each letter of the alphabet represents a "thing", not an abstraction, but only solid in itseffect on us: air; cold; gravity; for example. Playful illustrations and hints will keep children guessing,absorbed. Every essay is full of detailed information about its subject.

This is a remarkable find. Jim Fixx was famous for his puzzle books and for the best selling Complete Book of Running, which started the whole exercise movement in the 1970s. And now, over 30 years after Fixx passed away, this book is finally produced by his son. Every runner should have this on her or his bookshelf.

Definitely recommend this book for early learners. 3+ years and up. Lots of great perspective on topics that are tricky to explain to kids.

My eight year old loved this book. The clues are great. Please write a sequel.