Fun-To-Make Crafts for Halloween

Publishers Weekly

For those who are wizards with the scissors and skilled with the glue, Fun to Make Crafts for Halloween, ed. by Tom Daning, offers an array of projects using household items in just three to four simple steps. Crafty readers can grow a "Tree of Trolls" using cream containers, a tree branch and some yarn, and whip up a magic wand with a wooden dowel, glitter stars, felt and cotton balls. Photos of the finished projects offer additional guidance; although there's no table of contents, an index gives a comprehensive list. Fun to Make Crafts for Christmas follows the same format for Yuletide preparations. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-A collection of 149 crafts for Halloween and fall. With two or three projects per page, step-by-step directions, a simple supply list, and a color photo for each finished product, the book will encourage children to gather materials and start crafting. Safety concerns are mentioned (sharp instruments, stove, hot glue gun). Materials are recyclables or easily obtainable store-bought items, such as felt, pipe cleaners, paper, socks, fruit, pumpkins, craft sticks, leaves, bread dough, and fabric. Projects include a treat bag, a fun game called Pumpkin-Patch Pitch, an autumn-leaves place mat, a goblin mask, and dozens more. The index is quite helpful since the entries are listed under the type of craft, such as "Cards and Gifts," "Crafty Critters," "Decorations," "Masks," "Things to Eat," etc. Along with Judith Hoffman Corwin's Halloween Crafts (Watts, 1995) and Kathy Ross's Crafts for Halloween (Millbrook, l994), this book will please children and the adults who assist them. A perfect source for programming ideas, this title will be a popular choice.-Augusta R. Malvagno, Queens Borough Public Library, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.