Recycled Crafts Box
Grade 1-6–From its cover with raised letters that look as though they are made of various recycled materials to the helpful back matter (including a list of books and Web sites on recycling), this title is attractive and informative. Divided into sections dealing with paper, plastic, metal, and fabric, the book tells how these materials are made, traces their history, and explains how they can be recycled, emphasizing benefits to the environment. Tips on how youngsters can make a difference appear throughout, and interviews with artists who work with recyclables are included as sidebars. Scattered circles contain information about the inability of various substances to break down. Several art projects are provided for each type of material. These activities produce items that children will enjoy making and using, such as jewelry crafted from paper beads, dolls created from plastic yogurt cups, stilts fashioned out of empty paint cans, and planters made from old shoes. The finished items are shown in full-page color photos. The procedural steps are clearly written, well numbered, and illustrated with clear pencil drawings. Great for Earth Day or any day, this colorful, inviting, and well-organized book is a wonderful choice for instilling environmental awareness or encouraging creativity. Bobbe Needham'sEcology Crafts for Kids(Sterling, 1998) is another excellent title.–Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.