(4) K-3 Crafts for Kids Who Are Learning About series. Illustrated by Jan Barger. Kids fascinated with pterodactyls, duck-billed dinosaurs, and pteranodons will dive into these twenty-two crafts. Dinosaur-themed puppets, magnets, toys, and pins generally require easily found materials and minimal equipment beyond scissors and clothespins. Illustrated step-by-step instructions make most of these projects easy to complete; arranging grains of rice to resemble fossils will be difficult for small fingers.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids series. Readers are instructed on how to transform everyday household materials (paper plates, newspaper, cardboard rolls, tin cans) into window decorations, pencil holders, and mobiles in these volumes, each with directions for ten thematically related projects. The projects vary in usefulness and ease; some steps are too vague and/or unillustrated. Patterns needed for the trickier of the crafts are appended. Reading lists, websites. Ind. Review covers these Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids titles: Nifty Thrifty Space Crafts and Nifty Thrifty Art Crafts.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids series. This series makes creative use of common household materials such as water bottles, straws, and cereal boxes. Some of the crafts are usable, attractive, and easily accomplished (especially in Animal and Music), while others are flimsy and fairly uninspired. All four books include patterns at the end to accompany some of the trickier projects. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids titles: Nifty Thrifty Animal Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Math Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Sports Crafts, and Nifty Thrifty Music Crafts.

Reviewer: Abby Harper Kingsbury

(4) K-3 Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids series. This series makes creative use of common household materials such as water bottles, straws, and cereal boxes. Some of the crafts are usable, attractive, and easily accomplished (especially in Animal and Music), while others are flimsy and fairly uninspired. All four books include patterns at the end to accompany some of the trickier projects. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids titles: Nifty Thrifty Animal Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Math Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Sports Crafts, and Nifty Thrifty Music Crafts.

Reviewer: Abby Harper Kingsbury

(4) K-3 Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids series. This series makes creative use of common household materials such as water bottles, straws, and cereal boxes. Some of the crafts are usable, attractive, and easily accomplished (especially in Animal and Music), while others are flimsy and fairly uninspired. All four books include patterns at the end to accompany some of the trickier projects. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids titles: Nifty Thrifty Animal Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Math Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Sports Crafts, and Nifty Thrifty Music Crafts.

Reviewer: Abby Harper Kingsbury

(4) K-3 Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids series. Readers are instructed on how to transform everyday household materials (paper plates, newspaper, cardboard rolls, tin cans) into window decorations, pencil holders, and mobiles in these volumes, each with directions for ten thematically related projects. The projects vary in usefulness and ease; some steps are too vague and/or unillustrated. Patterns needed for the trickier of the crafts are appended. Reading lists, websites. Ind. Review covers these Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids titles: Nifty Thrifty Space Crafts and Nifty Thrifty Art Crafts.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids series. This series makes creative use of common household materials such as water bottles, straws, and cereal boxes. Some of the crafts are usable, attractive, and easily accomplished (especially in Animal and Music), while others are flimsy and fairly uninspired. All four books include patterns at the end to accompany some of the trickier projects. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Nifty Thrifty Crafts for Kids titles: Nifty Thrifty Animal Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Math Crafts, Nifty Thrifty Sports Crafts, and Nifty Thrifty Music Crafts.

Reviewer: Abby Harper Kingsbury

(4) K-3 Crafts for Kids Who Are Learning About series. Illustrated by Jan Barger. Kids can turn common materials into farmyard critters that are puppets, pins, and hats. There are twenty projects, and each step is illustrated. Youngsters who are interested in farm animals will likely lack the manual dexterity to complete many of these crafts (e.g., a mouse made from a thimble, three finger-sized bandages formed into a crow).

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 All New Holiday Crafts for Kids series. Illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm. Illustrated directions for twenty-two gifts--some for Mom, some for Dad, and some appropriate for either--explain how to turn paper, old neckties, cardboard, felt, and ribbon into the usual picture frames, cards, and refrigerator magnets. A few projects are clever, but most are uninspired.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Multicultural Crafts Kids Can Do! series. Each book contains ten simple craft projects that can be made from commonly found materials (e.g., yarn, straws). The directions are clear and easy to follow, although some of the crafts are uninspired. Hispanic is more generally culturally oriented (projects include piñatas and maracas), while African links its projects with famous people (for George Washington Carver: peanut shells used as planters). Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Multicultural Crafts Kids Can Do! titles: African-American Crafts Kids Can Do! and Hispanic-American Crafts Kids Can Do!

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Multicultural Crafts Kids Can Do! series. Each book contains ten simple craft projects that can be made from commonly found materials (e.g., yarn, straws). The directions are clear and easy to follow, although some of the crafts are uninspired. Hispanic is more generally culturally oriented (projects include piñatas and maracas), while African links its projects with famous people (for George Washington Carver: peanut shells used as planters). Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers these Multicultural Crafts Kids Can Do! titles: African-American Crafts Kids Can Do! and Hispanic-American Crafts Kids Can Do!

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 All New Holiday Crafts for Kids series. Illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm. With felt, construction paper, glue, pipe cleaners, and other common household objects, children can make twenty-two Kwanzaa projects. Many of the projects are variations on familiar school crafts (bookmarks, woven placemats, magnets), but some, like the kikombe cha umoja (unity cup), are unique to this celebration. Ross's directions are easy to follow, and Holm's clear, simple illustrations are equally helpful.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Kids' Crafts series. Each book gives an overview of supplies and projects ideas. Paper offers ways to decorate, cut, fold, or glue paper; Stamp explains how to make stamps or use store-bought ones to embellish various surfaces. Manufactured soap base and a microwave are essential for Soapmaking. The instructions, which are accompanied by lively photos, are occasionally unclear. Ind. Review covers these Kids' Crafts titles: Soapmaking, Paper Fantastic, and Stamp It!.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(4) 4-6 Kids' Crafts series. Each book gives an overview of supplies and projects ideas. Paper offers ways to decorate, cut, fold, or glue paper; Stamp explains how to make stamps or use store-bought ones to embellish various surfaces. Manufactured soap base and a microwave are essential for Soapmaking. The instructions, which are accompanied by lively photos, are occasionally unclear. Ind. Review covers these Kids' Crafts titles: Soapmaking, Paper Fantastic, and Stamp It!.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(4) 4-6 Kids' Crafts series. Each book gives an overview of supplies and projects ideas. Paper offers ways to decorate, cut, fold, or glue paper; Stamp explains how to make stamps or use store-bought ones to embellish various surfaces. Manufactured soap base and a microwave are essential for Soapmaking. The instructions, which are accompanied by lively photos, are occasionally unclear. Ind. Review covers these Kids' Crafts titles: Soapmaking, Paper Fantastic, and Stamp It!.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(3) 4-6 Lark Kids' Crafts series. This compendium of information for young crafters is devoted to the pliable, brightly colored clay that can be molded and blended endlessly and won't dry out until it's baked. Clear instructions for thirty projects--photo frames, jewelry, refrigerator magnets, etc.--are illustrated with crisp color photos of the required tools and the finished products (frequently to scale), shown off by clowning kids. Ind.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 All New Holiday Crafts for Kids series. Illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm & Sharon Lane Holm. Ross explains how to make ghost pins made from puzzle pieces and masks for dolls. Like those in most of Ross's craft instruction books, these projects require a good deal of adult help if young children are to be successful. Some of the projects are clever, others are more mundane, but the instructions are clear and the illustrations serviceable.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Holiday Crafts for Kids series. Illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm. The festive holiday provides the inspiration for twenty projects (some more original and interesting than others) that kids can make from basic household materials. Although the clearly worded step-by-step written and illustrated instructions are simple enough for kids to follow, the book's narrow scope will likely make it of more interest to teachers looking for holiday project ideas.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne