All About Me: A Keepsake Journal for Kids

My daughter was asking me for a diary for her 8th birthday. Noticing she didn't do much with the previous diaries I had gotten her, which were just blank lined paper with a beautiful cover, I wanted to find am "all about me" style of journal that would give her suggestions on what she could write about. There aren't a ton of options available, but I chose this one because it seemed to be the best option that fit the bill for what I wanted. While I checked out the "look inside" feature, I was still pleasantly surprised when I received the journal by the type of questions included. Some examples are "If you could schedule your own school day, what would it look like?", "Who do trust with your secrets", and "Is there something that you have always wanted to do that seems impossible? What is it? What is one little thing you could do to start you on the path to your dream?" That being said, the journal also has plenty of space for my daughter to write or draw anything she would like. This journal is gender-neutral and there aren't many graphics on the inside - lots of space to write and draw. If I had to list one complaint, it's that the graphics that are included inside the journal and the colors/patterns feel a bit out-dated. I wish they had other journal options that are more clearly geared toward specific genders, with an update to the graphics to make them more fun and interesting for kids. However, my daughter was so excited to receive it and love to write in it whenever she can, so the colors and graphics don't seem to bother her much! :)

This keepsake journal is good for boys or girls, from age 7 to 11 (or maybe older). I say 7 as the minimum age just because it seems like that's an age where kids are better at writing, both content and handwriting.I like this better than a blank journal because it has pages that specify what the child can write about, as well as pages that let them write whatever is on their mind. It has pages for drawing, again some pages specify what they should draw, while others allow them to draw whatever they want. There are pages that suggest they ask their family (grandparents, parents, etc) questions, for example, what things were like when they were young.If the journal owner tries to complete the whole journal (which could take a while), it can be something they look back on as an adult. I had something similar when I was in fourth grade that I wrote in. It brought a smile to my face to remember what the fourth grade version of myself wrote about. My book wasn't nearly as nice as this one, and mine didn't have the range of topics or pages for drawing. The pages where you ask your parents (or other family members) questions and write about what they tell you isn't really something you can fully appreciate until they are no longer with you.I intend to give several of these as gifts to the kids in my life. I hope they enjoy writing in them, try to complete the entire journal and will have something to treasure when they are older.

Super cute journal for young girls. My granddaughter is 12 and loves it

I bought this for my 9 year old niece for Christmas. She was totally excited about it as soon as she opened it. The pages are decorated with cute, various pictures, and there is plenty of writing space to answer the fun prompts. I believe it's important for children to explore and put into words their feelings, and this is a good tool to teach them about proper and healthy emotional outlets. I recommend buying this and can totally see myself gifting it again to another kid.

I purchased this book for 2 eleven year old nieces because I liked the whimsical cover. You're only able to view a few pages before purchase, and they seemed ok; but in actuality, the inside artwork is not very attractive or inspiring, and the questions are too broad for the 9 to 11 age group. It is 128 pages and 9 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches, which is too big and heavy for a child to carry around. It was pubished in 2004; I think writers (probably including this one) and educators have developed more interesting, provocative, and creative journals since then.

I bought this for my niece for Christmas and she loved it! She started writing in it right away even. I like the fact that it can be kept too so when she gets older, she can look back in her journal and see what her personality was like when she was younger. She had a lot of fun writing in this journal too.

I gave this as a Christmas gift to my twin 7 year old nieces. They spent the entire day carrying it around, writing in it, and reading out the questions to other family members. I was really glad with how much they liked it, how they engaged with it, and used it to engage with others.The books themselves were a sturdy paperback and nicely designed, and there are plenty of questions and space for them to write and draw. It's a great present, especially when paired with a pretty pen or pencil.

Nice book to encourage someone to write. It has captions and such to help them start writing. Each page or so, has a title like, where is your favorite place to spend time, or how did you make someone happy today, ect...Good for a child who likes to write

This journal is packed full of ideas to get kids writing about themselves. The prompts are positive and celebratory without being sentimental. Some pages are unlined with prompts to draw interesting things (like pictures of your best friends) and most are faintly lined (with a reasonable amount of space between each line.) There are prompts such as 'ask your parents what they are proud of' or 'what would your ideal pet be like?'. There are also some prompts that promote the ability to express more difficult feelings, such as, 'What do you think the three main problems in the world? What would you do to change them?' or 'What are your fears? Discuss them with a grown-up'.The illustrations are beautiful with 'kid friendly' lively pictures alongside the prompts and some pages with beautiful pictures that inspire ideas.Best of all, my reluctant writer 8 year old son loves writing in it!

Bought for a 6 year old who had asked for a diary. A couple of the questions are a little too old (e.g. when you talk with friends on the phone, what do you talk about?) but mostly they are great. They have done a good job of triggering ideas and prompting discussions and I think this will provide a really beautiful keepsake journal. We all liked that it was not at all pop-tastic or glitzy.

bought this for our daughters best friend for christmas. her parents say she loves writing in it and as it has questions she doesn't have to spend ages thinking what to write like most diaries.

lovely book...thoughtful sentences to provoke both thought and feeling for a young person and parents to explore in a non threatening way. my great niece loved it and started writing in it as soon as she got it!

Bought this for my friend's daughter who finds it difficult to talk to people about what's on her mind. She really likes the book and writes how she's feeling inside it as well as lots more.