The Girl Mechanic Goes Outdoors: 160 Exciting Projects to Make and Do »

Girl Power…POPULAR MECHANICS’ style!

Nostalgic pleasure for today’s girls! From very practical to just-for-fun, The Girl Mechanic Goes Outdoors offers a playful selection of the magazine’s most creative projects and tips. Like previous books in the series, some projects can be done by the child alone, while, others require a little help from Mom or Dad. And every one of them offers a charming look at old-fashioned ingenuity and resourcefulness.

Among the ideas that the whole family will enjoy are backyard amusements like the Fairyland Playhouse and Porch Swing Chair; clever gardening gadgets to cultivate a child’s green thumb; campfire crafts such as a nut bowl and flower basket made from logs; and sporty projects for the active girl.

Library Journal

Like others in the series (e.g., The Boy Mechanic Makes Toys), this is a collection of projects from Popular Mechanics of the 1940s–60s. But nostalgia is all this book offers. Projects have mismatched illustrations, and no girls are pictured doing the tasks. There are few instructions, and diagrams are too small to be of use. A novelty book worth acquiring only where the series has been popular.