The author’s note on the acknowledgments page encapsulates her approach to this subject: that fortune-telling can be “good, clean, frivolous fun.” Rather than being a serious exploration of psychic phenomena, this is a kids’ craft book that’s unlikely to offend anyone on religious or philosophical grounds. It contains a pleasing variety of activities ranging from the simple tradition of blowing the seeds off a dandelion head to more complicated projects (where adult supervision is recommended) such as baking fortune cookies.

The layout of the book is particularly effective. Columns of text are set among watercolour illustrations, some designed to show procedure and others just to amuse. None of the activities extends beyond two pages, and the instructions are explicitly detailed. The scale of the pictures varies according to what’s being examined, as for instance in the enlarged paintings of hands in the palm-reading section. Some of the double-page spreads have charts and sidebars, which make the numerology easy to follow and also help to maintain a clean visual order amidst all the information and formulas.

Many of the projects have straightforward didactic purposes, such as encouraging practice in sums. However, all the talk of pair bonding and impending bad luck raises some contradictions in the book, which purports to be benignly educational and rational. It also raises the question: How much do we want to encourage elementary school children (particularly girls) to focus on their romantic futures?