“This is not a book about talking to trees and rescuing baby birds, though we encourage both of those things…The projects and activities on the following pages show you cool ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle the things that we use regularly.” p. 6
Reader's Annotation
Would you like to make a recycled rain stick? What about a tin can xylophone? Or a tire picture frame? Find out in this book how to make all these crafts, and many more!
About the Authors
Heather Smith has written other books for children, including Geography Fun: Cool Activities and Projects for Young Explorers, Geography Crafts for Kids: 50 Cool Projects and Activities for Exploring the World, and Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff.
Joe Rhatigan has written more than fifteen books for children and adults, including The Kids' Guide to Nature Adventures and Out-of-This-World Astronomy. He launched and is the former editorial director of Lark Books' children's program. Rhatigan lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife, three kids, and cat.
Genre
Nonfiction: crafts, recycling
Reading Level/Interest Age
9-11 years
Content Summary
The book starts with an introduction which very briefly discusses the importance of using the Earth’s resources wisely and also gives an idea of the kinds of crafts in the book. Following this is a list of some basic materials that tweens will need for most of the crafts in the book: glue, scissors, appropriate workspace, etc. Next, the authors include a page of definitions of “Earth-Friendly Lingo”, including terms such as “hazardous waste” and “renewable resource,” etc. The bulk of the book consists of instructions for making 50 crafts, usually 2-3 pages each. The crafts are categorized into sections based on the primary material used in creation, such as glass, plastic, metal, paper, etc. Throughout the book the authors have included discussions of issues surrounding glass, metal, and plastic, etc. They also include discussion of issues such as composting and the ocean, as well as tips for being earth-friendly in everyday life.
Critical Evaluation
I love that this book is just so alive, with bold colors, photos of kids making the crafts, and of course clear images of the completed crafts themselves. The written instructions for the crafts are very clear, but I did wish there were a few more illustrations of the steps required to make the crafts. I also really like that most of the crafts are not difficult to put together. Those that require adult assistance are marked. Some of the crafts that particularly grabbed my attention include: glow-in-the-dark mobiles made from old vinyl records and CDs, film cannister mini-lights which are made colorful with tissue paper, candy tin travel games which allow tweens to get creative with acrylic paints and old magazines, handmade paper, and paper beads. And I really like the way that the authors have interspersed the information pages on materials such as glass, paper, etc. throughout the craft projects. I think this makes it much more likely that readers will actually take a look at this information. I highly recommend this book for tweens, and young teens as well…I may make a couple of the crafts myself over winter break!
Booktalking Ideas
• Show samples which you have made of a couple of the crafts.
• Talk about the importance of recycling and repurposing what we commonly throw away as trash.
Curriculum Ideas
• Art: Each month, let students help you pick out a couple crafts from the book to make. Students bring recycled materials from home to use.
• Ecology: Students study the environmental effects of the accumulation of trash.
Potential Challenge Issues & Defense
I do not foresee any challenges to this book, but if any were to arise, the following steps could be taken in defense:
• Become familiar enough with the book’s content to promote its literary merits.
• Refer to library’s collection development policy.
• Refer to book reviews from authoritative sources such as ALA, School Library Journal, etc.
• Obtain book reviews from tweens who have read it.
Why I Chose This Book
I love crafting myself, and creative expression is such a positive and necessary thing for tweens and any age group.
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