Kids Around the World Create!: The Best Crafts and Activities from Many Lands
Grade 3-6-A book that encourages interest in and respect for cultures and crafts from around the world. Braman begins with craft recipes, shopping tips, and helpful hints, followed by an instructional section that is organized by the crafts' functions-from celebratory to utilitarian. Some projects are for decorating; others are for parties and good luck, record keeping or holding things. Ancient and modern crafts are included. The directions and black-and-white drawings and photographs are clear and easy to follow. With care, children can achieve results that resemble the photos with the exception of the Amish quilt and the Zulu woven basket. While Amish women appear in a photograph sewing a quilt, instructions only provide for making a single quilt square and ask children to paste instead of sew. In the case of the basket, the picture clearly shows a girl wrapping raffia around a coil of reed to make a basket, while the instructions utilize a small, ill-shaped yogurt cup as a loom. A "Culture Link" appended to each activity includes a photo and brief description of a similar craft from another culture. While these links are informative, they may prove to be confusing or disappointing as they do not include instructions. Nevertheless, many cultures, including Inuit, Caribbean, Chinese, Egyptian, Ghanaian, Greek, Guatemalan, Japanese, Incan, Sudanese, and Tibetan, are represented in this welcome addition.Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.