Monday, June 1, 2009

Nonfiction Monday: Make it! by Jane Bull


This is the best recycled crafts book I've found yet. First, the book itself is eco-friendly. It has an intriguing cut-out cover, which grabs attention without being a pain to librarians trying to cover it!

The book begins with an explanation of recycling and its importance and what kind of materials can be used for the crafts and for recycling.

The crafts are divided into four types of materials - paper, plastic, metal, and fabric. Each section includes a page about the material, where it comes from, how it's used, and how to recycle it.

Paper crafts include folding boxes, paper pots/bowls, weaving, and art. Plastic crafts include a wide variety of small and easy crafts, including things to do with bottles, bottle tops, and misc. small bits of plastic. Metal crafts include mobiles and models. Fabric crafts include stuffed animals, rag mats, purses, and cushions.

One of my favorite parts of this book is that each craft includes recycling instructions for the basic materials. Having a huge stash of kids' old crafts is just as bad as a huge stash of recyclable material! Plus, you can definitely have too many little bits of plastic - no matter how cutely they're glued together to make something else.

Verdict: A great source for craft and recycling ideas, highly recommended.

ISBN: 978-0756638375; Published May 2008 by DK; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

4 comments:

Tricia said...

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for hosting! I'm in today with a review of A Caldecott Celebration: Seven Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal by Leonard Marcus.

Unknown said...

This sounds like just the book for my trash-craft-making kiddos. Thanks for sharing!

Kim

Lisa said...

Looks like a great gift book!

Anamaria (bookstogether) said...

I've seen this book for sale at the National Gallery children's shop, which says something about how good it is! Thanks for the review!