Make Your Own Cool Cards

This title offers imaginative ideas for creating handcrafted cards suitable for many occasions and levels of ability. All of the directions are clear and illustrated with helpful black-and-white drawings. Younger children may need some adult help with following the instructions for cards requiring more complex folding techniques. Safety warnings for the use of sharp implements and glue guns appear where necessary. The designs feature animals (a dragonfly, a dog, etc.) as well as favorite items (a cell phone, a sleeping bag, etc.) and include pop-up and pull-down elements. Helpful full-sized templates for all cutouts are appended. A glossary of papers and tools is positioned right up front, along with instructions for handling the patterns, most of which appear full size at the back of the book. Brief, encouraging words from the authors introduce each of the 16 projects, which are described in step-by-step instructions. The pictures, artistic renderings, aren't step-by-step, but they are still well thought out and clear enough, relying on multiple arrows to indicate position and direction whenever necessary. The projects call for mostly easy-to-obtain materials--ribbons, dryer lint, craft foam, photographs, and craft papers. Most creations are simple cut and paste though kids will learn how to quill, a skill that opens up a whole new avenue of fun.