I Can Make That!: Fantastic Crafts for Kids

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

This beautiful-looking hard-bound book of crafts offers something for
everyone. Its five sections are “Costumes,” “Puppets,” “Nature
Crafts,” “Toys,” and “Games.” Each section features 11, 12, or
13 crafts. A handy table of contents introduces each section and a
couple of descriptive pages provide a list of the necessary materials,
most of them readily available around the house.

Many of the crafts are familiar tried-and-true projects but with a
twist, and several are unique. The crown and sceptre creation in
Costumes, the pink pig sponge puppet in Puppets, the stone statues and
moss garden in Nature Crafts, the jet glider in Toys, and the
hatching-egg game in Games are standouts. Each project has its own list
of materials in a sidebar, and its step-by-step instructions are short,
clear, and very easy to follow. Additional tips, such as how to make the
puppets move and conservation tips in the Nature Crafts section, provide
added interest.

The artwork in this book is particularly noteworthy. The use of bright
colors against an absolutely plain white background makes the diagrams
stand out in an almost startling fashion. Rejecting a fussy background
keeps the focus entirely on the product and the process involved in
creating it. Photographing the actual product and its component parts as
it’s being assembled, rather than resorting to diagrams, also lends a
realistic three-dimensional perspective to the illustrations. This fine
book, which offers practical, often unusual, crafts, in a
reader-friendly format, is highly recommended.