Recently I received the festive new book Naturally Fun Parties for Kids by Anni Daulter (with Heather Fontenot) fresh from the publisher, spent a few weeks reading through it, and now get to review it for you!

The book features twelve different themed party ideas divided out by the four season. Each party idea is covered by eight to ten pages of recipes, activities and photographs of how to plan the party. Better yet, each new chapter (party) commences with a handy Projects and Materials section as well as a Timeline that clearly defines the exact materials and preparation time to get ready for the party. The content of the book is arranged clearly and practically, and the projects are broken down in a manageable way. (This is especially helpful to those of us who love the idea of planning a themed party for our children, but who never feel quite organized enough to do so!)

Each party idea has a refreshingly child-like feel to it and suggests activities that are age appropriate. In our own family, I easily found a party that would interest each of my children individually, as well as some that the whole family could enjoy together. My oldest daughter (age 10) would love the Natural Spa Party, while my second daughter (soon to be 7) would enjoy the Forest Faerie Dress-up Party. The Knights and Dragon Quest Party would be perfect for my son who turns 4 this summer!


Several of the parties are more non-gender specific like the Strawberry-Picking and Jam-Making Party and the Upcycle Art Party and could span a variety of ages as well.

The photography in the book is pure eye candy - beautiful and inspiring in and of itself. Before reading through each party, I couldn't help but to flip through and look at each and every gorgeous picture!

This book is fantastic for inspiration and very creative party themes and ideas. If you are a person who enjoys all things handmade, then this book is most certainly for you. Between the homemade party food (great recipes included, by the way!), delicately crafted invitations and decorations, and organic acitivities, there is very little need for anything store-bought. This is a great perk. However, if you're a person who is easily intimidated by all things crafty, then it may be best to glance through the lovely photos, choose one of the themes and and maybe an activity or two, but leave it at that. The clever creativity that abounds in this book isn't for the crafty faint of heart!
In a nutshell, I thoroughly enjoyed Naturally Fun Parties! The party themes are unique, whimsical and quite refreshing. I look forward to replicating some of the parties as fun things for our own family to do together and not necessarily even for any special occasion. We will most likely pick and choose the acitivites, crafts, and recipes that we would like to try even if we are not able to do them all at the same time.
As far as celebrations go, with spring and summer marking the beginning of our birthdays here, this book could not have come at a better time!
