Don't Touch That Dart!

The Art of Early Learning Series Book 4

Children - General
36 Pages
Reviewed on 10/11/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

When it comes to babies, D. A. Batrowny has a simple philosophy,
Relax and Read a children’s book!

As the mind behind the children’s character Smart Art and the Art of Early Learning Series of children’s books and The Early Ed Series, she has devoted her life to sharing the secrets about how parents can build the foundation their child will need for the future success… right from birth.

Her extensive background includes over 25 years working with children and families as a nurse home visitor, longitudinal research interviewer, children’s nonprofit Program Director, writer and Coordinator of the nurse home visiting component of a county-wide school readiness program.

She has bundled all of that experience into one fun children’s series that will help you transform your child’s future!


Currently families in the U.S, Serbia, Algeria, Panama, Brazil, Columbia, Nicaragua, Canada, and the UK are enjoying Smart Art and The Early Ed Series!

Go to DarBatrowny.com to learn more, spread the word and take the challenge to start now!

    Book Review

Reviewed by Hilary Hawkes for Readers' Favorite

Don’t Touch That Dart! written by DA Batrowny and illustrated by Diana M Hernandez is a children’s book written for parents who have young children. It is part of the Smart Artt book series which covers developmental related topics. In this story, Artt is left in the care of a babysitter who is instructed not to allow him to get hold of certain unsafe things – in particular a dart on a top shelf. But Artt is clever, and when the babysitter is out of the room, he finds a way to use his tower building skills to climb up to the shelf. There is a surprising and humorous twist in the story when he shows understanding of the dangers of certain items.

Don’t Touch That Dart is more than a short and amusing story. It provides much food for thought regarding young children’s development, safety in the home, and the need to match this to the child’s stage of development. The story indicates how easy it is to underestimate the ability and resourcefulness of young children. Parents will recognize the issues in the story; firstly the subject of making the home safe, and the need to reassess these measures as children become more active and mobile. Then Artt himself shows how children’s cognitive and problem solving skills also change and develop. He uses his tower building abilities (fine and gross motor development) not just for fun, but also in order to solve a problem (ie how to reach something he wants) and to satisfy his curiosity and need to explore. While a fun story, the developmental phase of Artt is clearly shown through the story - physically, cognitively and emotionally - along with what needs to be provided and taken into consideration by parents/carers to meet his needs and keep him safe.

Batrowny provides useful lists at the end of the book of typical development milestones – what to expect of a typical child at various ages – and suggestions for activities that will enhance that development. The color illustrations by Diana M Hernandez complement the text well, the depicted characters conveying the fun and humor in the story. This little book is part of a handy, fun series for parents to share with young children. The link to children’s growth and development make it suitable for students of child development too. Recommended.

anonymous

Cute story that shows us if we pay attention we might be surprised at how capable our children are, even when they are very young. The colorful illustrations remind us that kids learn best while we play with them.

M.J. Kinsman

Wow he's grown!

Having followed this series from the beginning, it's great to see young Smart Artt is finally big enough to run around and speak. As he gets bigger the story part of the books seems to allow him to get up to funnier types of mischief - though in this babysitting story I'm not quite sure if his young Aunty is the one behaving daftly, while Smart Artt is in fact trying to be very responsible and look after her instead!

As with the other books, a fun, age relevant story, with bright, simple pictures, is followed by 2 pages for parents to read. These include expected milestones for the age of Smart in the story (now over 18 months), and activities the parent can do with their child to encourage development at this age, as well as safety tips to keep them safe.

A well thought out series. These books don't take long to read, and a parent can share them with their young child while also learning a lot of important information.

azebra

I like the way this series is building up. Each book rhymes with the central characters name Artt. This story is the funniest yet and sees (spoiler) auntie kay (I'm assuming she's Artt's mothers baby sister) doing first time baby sitting duty and ending up in trouble. Luckily Artt has a solution - but he's a kids so he doesn't see the same problem. The story reminded me that kids don't share the same world view as their parents.

Bright bold pictures accompany simple text and a mischievous story. Worth checking out and reading with 2 - 5 year olds.

Lisa's Kids' Books Review

Book four in the Smart Artt Early Learning Series and just as wonderful as the other previous books. As each book shows progress in the life stage of one’s child, this book shows Smart Artt’s growth and development. Smart Artt is older and wiser, though still simplistic; the book extends a more complex look complimenting the age stage in development. The reader will notice the shapes and colors are more advanced, as to this growth and development stage, understanding and ability in comprehension. The storyline is a bit more advanced as well. Smart Artt’s aunt comes to babysit while his mother goes out for several hours. All is going well until Smart Artt’s aunt is busy in the kitchen making them sandwiches. Since his stage of curiosity, building, climbing, and reasoning are prevalent, Smart Artt is well on target, he uses the items Aunt Kaye brought him to play with by stacking then climbing on them to reach the dart his mother placed well out of his way, high upon a shelf. You’ll find out what happens when you read this book, but be sure to look for the next in series titled, The Broken Cart.

Celia

Smart Art is now eighteen months old. Aunt Kaye comes to look after him while Momma goes to the store but by the end of the story I wondered who was responsible for whom? Smart Art is growing up fast and I can see lots of fun along the way.

My favourite thing about this series, is that age related developmental milestones are included at the back of the books. You will also find a list of worthwhile activities to do with your child to promote growth and development at each stage.

Girl and Dog Reviews

In Don't Touch That Dart, Aunt Kaye comes over to watch Smart Artt. She is concerned for his safety when he climbs a shelf to get a dart. It turns out that Smart Artt is going to be responsible and put the dart up, but Aunt Kaye learns a very funny safety lesson from Smart Artt's adventure. I really enjoyed the story and I think parents will benefit from the educational milestone list at the back of the book. Another great book from D.A Batrowny!