Nifty Thrifty Animal Crafts Book

Originally rated G by Shelly Kraus
Nifty Thrifty Animal Crafts is just that. Nifty and thrifty because all of the crafts can be done with the most basic supplies: crayons, colored paper, scissors and glue along with a few things that children will have on hand at home: empty cereal boxes or cans. The only thing that the crafter may not have access to is a copy machine or scanner to help with the patterns available in the book. The patterns are not that difficult to draw free hand and can be done with minimal help form and adult. Each craft is set up in a similar manner. In the "Are You Ready?" section some facts are given about the animal that is the theme of the craft. The "Get Set" section lists all supplies needed to complete the activity. The "Let's Go" section gives very detailed descriptions, along with visual prompts. Each craft has a "Safety Note" reminding the crafter to seek the help of an adult if necessary to complete the craft. This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys creating new things.
The book contains a contents page, an introduction that explains the different ways that animals can be classified and encouragement for the crafter to find out more about animals on their own. There are pages of patterns near the end of the book. There is a section that lists books for further exploration of animals and also a few internet suggestions along with an index.
This book would be a good addition to collections that are light of craft books or collections that may need some updated craft titles.