Book Review: “Magic Tree House Survival Guide” by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Age recommendation: 7 to 10 (though children of all ages can enjoy reading this with their families)

What Makes This One of the Best Children’s Books

Would you recognize the signs of a tsunami at the beach? Would you know how to conserve oxygen, when buried by an avalanche? Would you know how to handle a charging lion?

Both my preschooler son and I would feel quite capable in all of these scenarios, after reading “Magic Treehouse Survival Guide.” Delivering a comprehensive set of tips for every thinkable emergency – including outdoor survival, natural disasters, wildlife encounters and far more – this riveting and educational book will fully arm kids with expertise for all occasions.

And even with the serious nature of the topics discussed, this book remains lighthearted and entertaining on every page, thanks to the authors cleverly weaving in fun, related stories (some fictional, some factual).

Concise and easy to read, the book draws in readers with a simple format. Each treacherous scenario kicks off with a hilarious or stunning story, followed by  a quick list of essential tips.

Some emergencies are more likely to occur – like heat exhaustion, fires and power outages, more so than charging gorillas and shark attacks – but frankly, all of this advice provides a wonderful peace of mind to know.

The book also covers emergencies that families will find extremely relevant (like an exhaustive section on surviving a pandemic and lockdown).

All of the disasters offer an engrossing read, thanks to the many stories involving fictional kid adventurers Jack and Annie.

Sometimes they provide silly accounts of their wild escapades, but they also pepper in many real-life accounts of emergencies.

This gives kids a fascinating introduction to incredible historic events and people, including the volcanic eruption at Pompeii, Florence Nightingale’s discovery of how cleanliness reduces the spread of disease, and a middle school girl who saved lives upon recognizing signs of a pending tsunami.

Kids will find themselves bursting with knowledge of history and survival after reading this book. And who knows… it might save their lives, someday.

How My Child Reacted to This Book

My son in preschool might be under the recommended age for this book, but he begged me to keep reading it to him, even when we’d been consuming its numerous tips for over an hour. Whenever we finished one set of tips, he kept pleading, “one more! One more!”

He was giddy over the characters’ wacky stories of their adventures, and he was incredibly excited about all of the disasters discussed, especially animal attacks and natural disasters.

The evening after we initially read this book, he proceeded to rattle off everything he had learned at the dinner table.

I feel confident that older kids will feel equally hooked, simply because I remained enthralled, myself.

Potential Conversations and Activities to Pair with This Book

“Magic Tree House Survival Tips” provides a valuable opportunity for families to discuss preparing for potential disasters.

Every family will likely want to review the book’s tips for power outages, for instance. They can also chat about which natural disasters are most likely to occur in their area, and the best survival steps to follow during such an event.

Kids and their families can even prepare emergency plans and kits together, and conduct safety drills. For example, they can practice rolling out of bed and covering their heads, to prep for a nighttime earthquake.

Hopefully families can feel safer and more prepared, no matter what emergencies occur.

More Children’s Books Like This

‘Surf’s Up’ – A Do-Gooder Ninja Who Never Gives Up

‘Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective’ – A Cheerful Cat Teaches Kids to Manage Anxiety