Reviews: Arts & Crafts Books, 5-14

[Wendy E. Betts]

I Can Draw That!: Easy Animals and Monsters written and illustrated
by Robert Pierce
* Art School written and illustrated by Mick Manning and Brita
Granstrom
Draw Desert Animals written and illustrated by Doug DuBosque
Traditional Crafts from Native North America by Florence Temko.
Illustrated by Randall Gooch
Funstation: Make it Go! by Godfrey Hall. Illustrated by Peter
Serjeant

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Vol. 5, No. 7c Children's Nonfiction: Arts & Crafts, 5-14 7/17/97

__ I Can Draw That!: Easy Animals and Monsters_ written and illustrated
by Robert Pierce. Grosset & Dunlap, 1997 (0-448-41600-X) $6.95 pb

I was always frustrated by "draw the animal" activities as a child,
because they seemed to jump from a few circle to a rabbit with almost
no explanation of what happened in between. This step-by-step manual
is a considerable improvement, especially because almost nothing
you've drawn has mysteriously disappeared from the final picture. (I
_really_ hated that!) Each object starts with very basic shapes, added
one by one; the text describes what each shape represents in the
picture, so you know what you're doing. The results are effective,
cartoon-style animals and monsters; this is a good choice for kids who
are intimidated by art and need the reassurance of immediate results.
Six magic markers and a rainbow colored sketchbook are included.
(5-8)

__ Art School_ written and illustrated by Mick Manning and Brita
Granstrom. Kingfisher, 1996 (0-7534-5000-3) $6.95 pb

There are many books for children with instructions for fun art
projects, but this one, promoted as "your very own art school in a
book," aims for a lot more: its goal is to start the reader on the
path to thinking, feeling and working as an artist. An amiable
watercolor "Mick" is our guide through various projects and
experiments designed both to build up specific skills and to reward
creativity: an experiment in drawing textures reminds us that "how
something feels is important when you are drawing it"; a mail art
project can be delightfully startling way to break through
conventional thinking about where art belongs. Appealingly designed,
with easy to read text and colorful, friendly illustrations, this is a
terrific resource for kids at almost any stage of artistic
development. * (6-12)

Also available: _Nature Watch_ written and illustrated by Mick Manning
and Brita Granstrom. Kingfisher, 1997 (0-7534-5063-1) $7.95 pb
Sensible advice and fun ideas for exploring the natural world. (7-12)

__ Draw Desert Animals_ written and illustrated by Doug DuBosque. Peel,
1996 (0-939217-26-0) $8.95 pb

An unusually sophisticated approach to step-by-step drawing
instructions, this book is excellent for young artists who have grown
past mere copying and want serious advice about how to draw. Each
step is thoroughly described, with great attention to detail;
following the instructions not only produces realistic drawings but
demonstrates the relationship between process and result. DuBosque
encourages young artists to save their work so they can see their
progress, to take their time, and to keep a positive attitude about
challenges and inevitable frustration. (8 & up)

__ Traditional Crafts from Native North America_ by Florence Temko.
Illustrated by Randall Gooch. Photographs by Robert L. and Diane
Wolfe. Lerner, 1997 (0-8225-2934-3) $16.13 library binding

Crafts are often used as a doorway to appreciating other cultures, and
that seems to be the primary aim of this book. For each craft,
thereÕs a discussion about its place in Native American culture and
the techniques that were originally used to create it, as well as a
"how-to project" that imitates the craft with varying degrees of
authenticity--Southwestern cascarones (decorated eggshells) are pretty
simple to replicate, but construction paper totem poles can naturally
be only a faint echo of the originals. Attractive photographs of both
the genuine crafts and the imitations inspire readers to have a go;
straightforward illustrations accompany the instructions. As these
projects are sometimes time-consuming and require special materials,
this book is probably most appropriate for classroom use. (8-14)

__ Funstation: Make it Go!_ by Godfrey Hall. Illustrated by Peter
Serjeant. Price Stern Sloan, 1997 (0-8431-7970-8) $21.95

One in a series of "funstations," this is a cleverly designed
combination of instruction book and activity set. The theme is energy
and motion, and the spiral bound book is full of interesting,
educational activities to try, like the "mysterious can" that will
roll on its own through rubber-band power or the "secret agent
communicator" that can send messages in morse code through either
light or sound. Safety is emphasized, with potentially dangerous
steps highlighted with a special symbol; pages for notes at the end
encourage kids to keep track of their experiments and results.
Accompanying the book is an attached box that holds magnets, small
light bulbs and other necessary doodads; not having been much into
gadgets as a child, I asked my husband's opinion about the set, and he
thought it was a great idea, remembering how annoying it was to have
to search for a straw or a balloon at the beginning of a project. Kids
who work through this entire kit will find themselves with quite
a bit of useful knowledge about energy and power. (8-14)

* indicates a book the reviewer feels is outstanding in its genre
--
Wendy E. Betts, Editor, "Notes from the Windowsill."
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