Changes

{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"099334030X|title===[[Can You Draw the Dragosaur? by |author=Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts]]|rating=4.5|genre==Crafts[[image:4.5star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]], [[:Category:Emerging Readers|Emerging Readers]] You're going to get a hint of what this book's about very quickly. When you see the title page, you'll find out what the book's called and that it's been written by Peter Lynas. Then we move on to who has done the illustration - and there's a gap. ''You'' are going to put your name there. It's ''your'' responsibility to provide the pictures for this book about one of the largest creatures ever to roam the earth. There's some help available, but your name is on the title page - and you have work to do! [[Can You Draw the Dragosaur? by Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1635860334|Full Review]]title=Why We Quilt <!-- |author=Thomas Knauer -->|-rating=4| stylegenre="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Crafts|[[image:1635860334.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1635860334/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Why We Quilt by Thomas Knauer]]=== [[image:4starsummary=I've often wondered about the story that patchwork quilting began as a way for women (and myth would have it that it was always women) to make an extra blanket out of material which would otherwise go to waste.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] I've often wondered This undoubtedly ''did'' happen but when you think about it, you need an awful lot of material to make a quilt and the story time could have been better spent if all that patchwork quilting was required was bedding. Like Thomas Knauer, I've come to the conclusion that it began as a way for women (an art and myth would have it has largely continued down that it was always women) to make an extra blanket out of material which would otherwise go to wastesame road with fluctuations in popularity over the years. This undoubtedly ''did'' happen but when you think about it, you need an awful lot of material }}{{Frontpage|isbn=1419726625|title=The Mitten Handbook: Knitting Recipes to make a quilt and the time could have been better spent if all that was required was bedding. Like Thomas Knauer Make Your Own|author=Mary Scott Huff|rating=4|genre=Crafts|summary=Ilove mittens - they've come re so convenient and much easier to the conclusion that it began as an art get onto (and has largely continued down that same road with fluctuations in popularity over the yearsoff) cold hands than a pair of fiddly gloves. [[Why We Quilt by Thomas Knauer|Full Review]] <!-- Mary Scott Huff -->|-| style="width They're not something you regularly see in shops, so I knew that if I wanted new pairs I would have to knit them myself. Well, actually, that's my rationalisation of the situation: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1419726625in truth, I love knitting mittens.jpg|link=http://www They have just enough technique to make them satisfying, plenty of quick work and a pair of warm mittens in a few days.amazon.co.uk/dp/1419726625/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag Patterns, though -21]]where do you get them from?}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1621137775| styletitle="vertical-alignHandbag Workshop: top; text-align: left;"Design and Sew the Perfect Bag|author=Anna M Mazur|rating=4|genre==[[The Mitten Handbook: Knitting Recipes to Make Your Own by Mary Scott Huff]]===Crafts [[image:4star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] I love mittens - they're so convenient and much easier to get onto (and off) cold hands than love handbags, but I resent paying the prices demanded by manufacturers of 'good' bags. Additionally, I often find a pair of fiddly gloves. They're not something you regularly see in shops, so bag I knew that if like but the colour/shape/size/capacity/internal layout isn't ''quite'' what I wanted new pairs had in mind, so I would have to knit them myselfend up spending rather a lot of money and compromising. WellThe solution is to make my own bags and whilst I was confident about sewing fabric bags, actuallyI was nervous about using leather, thatnot least because leather isn't very forgiving when it comes to mistakes and it's my rationalisation of the situation: in truth usually more expensive than fabric. I love knitting mittensneeded help. They have just enough technique Anna Mazur's ''The Handbag Workshop'' came to make them satisfying, plenty of quick work and a pair of warm mittens me free through NetGalley in a few daysreturn for an unbiased review. Patterns, though - where do you get them from? [[}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1632506386|title=The Mitten HandbookKnitter's Dictionary: Knitting Recipes Know-How from A to Make Your Own by Mary Scott HuffZ|Full Review]]author=Kate Atherley|rating=4<!-- Anna M Mazur -->|genre=Crafts|-| stylesummary="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1621137775I've been knitting for well over sixty years, following patterns of varying complexity with success.jpg|link=http://www I've knit Aran sweaters, socks by the dozen and I'm currently knitting blankets for a charity to sell.amazon.co.uk/dp/1621137775/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Handbag Workshop: Design There hasn't been an occasion when I've been stuck and Sew the Perfect Bag by Anna M Mazur]]=== [[image:4starpeople have often come to ''me'' for help when ''they've'' been stuck.jpg|link=Category: Would a knitter's dictionary really be of any help to me? I was surprised by just how much I got out of it.}}{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[Frontpage|isbn=1440248850|title=Modern Patchwork Home:Category:CraftsDynamic Quilts and Projects for Every Room|author=Vivika DeNegre (Editor)|rating=4|genre=Crafts]] I love handbags|summary=The problem with a craft which is largely based on traditional designs is that what results from your labours is also traditional, but I resent paying the prices demanded by manufacturers of 'good' bags. Additionally, I often find or - depending upon what light you shine on it - old-fashioned. Vivika DeNegre has curated a bag I like but the colour / shape / size / capacity / internal layout isncollection of patterns from today's top designers. As a word of warning, if you read 't 'Modern Patchwork Magazine'quite'you may well find that there' what I had s nothing new in mindthe book, so I end up spending rather but if you're new to the magazine this could well prove to be a lot of money and compromisingdelightful collection from the back catalogue. The solution is to make my own bags }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Pallant_Star|title=Star Wars Millennium Falcon Book and Mega Model|author=Katrina Pallant and whilst I was confident about sewing fabric bags, I was nervous about using leather, not least because leather isn't very forgiving when it comes to mistakes and it's usually more expensive than fabricNeal Manning|rating=4. I needed help5|genre=Crafts|summary=One of the unexpected results of making a rough-and-ready sci-fi film back in the 1970s, was that George Lucas left a whole generation capable of spelling Millennium. Anna Mazur's ''The Handbag Workshop'' came to me free through NetGalley in return In amongst all the iconic inventions for an unbiased review. [[Handbag Workshop: Design and Sew the Perfect Bag by Anna M Mazur|Full Review]] <!-- Kate Atherley -->|-| style="width: 10%; verticalfilm, his design team left him – and us – with a very loveable, very fast and very asymmetrical space ship. How is it balanced when the cockpit is stuck out one side? What is that dish-align: like array doing on what seems to act as the top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1632506386.jpg? And where can you get your own? Well, beyond the rarity and great cost of the Lego model, I can at least provide one answer to those three pertinent questions, and that answer is… here.}}{{Frontpage|linkisbn=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1632506386/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] McLelland_Press| styletitle="vertical-alignPress Out and Decorate: top; text-align: left;"Unicorns|author=Kate McLelland|rating=4|genre==[[The Knitter's Dictionary: Knitting Know-How from A to Z by Kate Atherley]]===Crafts [[image:4star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]], [[:Category:Reference|Reference]] IIt's the weekend and I've been indulging myself. There've been knitting for well over sixty years, following patterns s something about a unicorn which appeals to me and a little bit of research into a book of varying complexity with success. I've knit Aran sweaterspress-out unicorns, socks by the dozen clouds and I'm currently knitting blankets for rainbows seemed like the ideal way to spend a charity to sellSaturday morning. There hasnYou get twenty designs in the book and they't been an occasion when Ire all decorated with pink foil: even if you don've been stuck and people have often come t want to ''me'' for help when ''add any further colouring they've'' been stuck. Would re still going to look great, but because the pages are a knitter's dictionary really be of any help substantial card you have the opportunity to me? I was surprised by just how much I got out of ituse crayons, felt tips or even paints to add your own personal touch. [[The Knitter's Dictionary: Knitting Know-How from A to Z by Kate Atherley|Full Review]]}} <!-- Vivika DeNegre (Editor) -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=V&A_Embroidery| styletitle="widthEmbroidery: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"A Maker's Guide|author=Victoria and Albert Museum[[image:1440248850.jpg|linkrating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1440248850/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] 4| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Crafts|summary===[[Modern Patchwork HomeIn ''Embroidery: Dynamic Quilts and Projects for Every Room A Maker's Guide'' we get a brief introduction to the craft by Vivika DeNegre (Editor)]]=== [[image:4starJames Merry, embroidery artist, information on the tools you'll need, materials you can utilise and a guide to the stitches you'll be using.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] The problem with a craft If you're just thinking about starting embroidery and not certain which is largely based on traditional designs is that what results from your labours is also traditional, or - depending upon what light you shine on it - old-fashionedtype will suit you best or someone who's experienced in one area but wanting to branch out this book could be an ideal starting point. Vivika DeNegre has curated a collection There are over 230 glorious photographs (of patterns items from today's top designers. the V&A collections) As a word and illustrations covering 15 styles of warning, if embroidery and giving all the information and designs you read ''Modern ll need for 15 projects.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=V&A_Patchwork|title=Patchwork Magazineand Quilting: A Maker'' you may well find that there's nothing new in the book, but if s Guide|author=Victoria and Albert Museum|rating=4.5|genre=Crafts|summary=Patchwork is a magical craft: you're new to the magazine this could well prove to be a delightful collection from the back cataloguecan take relatively small pieces of material and turn them into another piece of material with an entirely different pattern. [[Modern Patchwork Home: Dynamic Quilts Quilting converts a topper and Projects for Every Room by Vivika DeNegre (Editor)|Full Review]] <!-- Pallant -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Pallant_Stara backing fabric with some wadding in between into a fabric of an entirely different weight.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazonCombine the two crafts and you have something more than magical, occasionally fashionable but always deeply satisfying.co.uk/gp/product/1405285222But where to start, when there are so many different styles of both crafts?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1405285222]]  | style="verticalOne answer is to read ''Patchwork and Quilting: A Maker's Guide'' which looks -align: top; textas the cover says -align: left;"|===[[Star Wars Millennium Falcon Book at styles from Italian trapunto to Korean jogakbo and Mega Model then delivers fifteen projects inspired by Katrina Pallant and Neal Manning]]===the V&A collections.}}{{Frontpage[[image:4.5star.jpg|linkisbn=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:CraftsBM_Origami|Crafts]]title=Origami, Poems and Pictures|author=The British MuseumOne of the unexpected results |rating=5|genre=Crafts|summary=Sometimes you find a delight of making a rough-book. On an afternoon when it was unseasonably cold and-ready sci-fi film back in the 1970sdecidedly wet I discovered ''Origami, Poems and Pictures'' and I was that George Lucas left a whole generation capable of spelling Millenniumtransported to Japan. In amongst all As the iconic inventions for the film, his design team left him – title suggests we're looking at three celebrated arts and us – with a very loveablecrafts: the ancient art of paper folding, very fast haiku poetry and very asymmetrical space shippainting. How is I'll confess that it balanced when was the origami which caught my attention, but I was surprised by the cockpit is stuck out one side? What is that dish-like array doing on what seems extent to act as which the top? And where can rest of the book caught my imagination. We begin with something very simple: a boat and in case you get your own? Well're worried, beyond all the rarity and great cost entries have a degree of the Lego model, I can at least provide one answer difficulty (from 'simple' through to those three pertinent questions, 'tricky') and that answer is… herethis one is at the lowest level. [[Star Wars Millennium Falcon Book and Mega Model by Katrina Pallant and Neal Manning|Full Review]]}}{{Frontpage<!-- McLelland -->|isbn=Ljung_Butterfly|-title=Build a ... Butterfly| styleauthor="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Kiki Ljung|rating=4.5[[image:McLelland_Press.jpg|leftgenre=Crafts|linksummary=httpsI love butterflies://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1788002172?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1788002172]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Press Out they're one of the delights of my garden and Decorate: Unicorns by Kate McLelland]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] It's it's always a pleasure when there are children there and they see a butterfly close up, possibly for the first time, as it rests on a flower. Kiki Ljung has given us the weekend and I've been indulging myself. There's something opportunity to learn about a unicorn which appeals butterflies and also to me and build a little bit 3D model of research into a our own. The book of press-out unicornsis primarily aimed at the five to eight-year-old age group, clouds and rainbows seemed like the ideal way but I have to spend confess that I had a Saturday morninggreat deal of fun building my own painted lady. You get twenty designs in the book I learned quite a bit too!}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Muldoon_Gift|title=Gift Boxes to Colour and they're all decorated with pink foilMake: even if A Year of Celebrations|author=Eilidh Muldoon|rating=5|genre=Crafts|summary=Have you ever tried wrapping a small gift, or those handmade sweets or biscuits you don't want to add any further colouring theyve prepared for a friend? It're still going to look greats not easy, but because the pages are a substantial card is it? If you have use wrapping paper the opportunity gift tends to use crayons, felt tips or even paints lose ''presence'' and once you start to use glass jars the gift becomes really quite expensive and less easy to add your own personal touchtransport. [[Press Out and Decorate: Unicorns by Kate McLelland|Full Review]] <!-- V&A -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:V&A_Embroidery.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0500293279 Do you find colouring relaxing and rewarding but somehow it feels just a little bit ''too'' indulgent if all you do is turn to the next page and start colouring that? Would you get more out of it if you could use what you've coloured for a practical purpose?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0500293279]] The ideal solution to both problems is ''Gift Boxes to Colour and Make: A Year of Celebrations'' by Eilidh Muldoon.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Reeve_Pug| styletitle="verticalPug-align: top; texta-Doodle-align: left;"Do!|author===[[Embroidery: A Maker's Guide by Victoria Philip Reeve and Albert Museum]]=Sarah McIntyre|rating=4.5|genre=Crafts [[image:4star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] In ''Embroidery: A Maker's Guide'' we get a brief introduction to I was reading a book so utterly different to this the other day, it has to bear mention. It was an exceedingly academic book about graphic novels and comics for the craft by James MerryYA audience, embroidery artist, information and it featured an essay picking up on the tools you'll need, materials you can utilise and a guide to way books like the stitches you'll be using. If you're just thinking about starting embroidery fill-in-bits-yourself entries in the Wimpy Kid and not certain which type will suit you best or someone who's experienced in Dork Diaries series (such as [[Dork Diaries: How to Dork Your Diary by Rachel Renee Russell|this one area but wanting ]]) let you interact with the franchise, and also to branch out this book could be an ideal starting pointcreate your own content. There are over 230 glorious photographs was some weird high-falutin' academic language to describe such books – but you know what? I say (of items from the V&A collectionsredacted) and illustrations covering 15 styles of embroidery and giving all the information and designs you'll need for 15 projects. [[Embroidery: A Makerto that – let's Guide by Victoria just hang it and Albert Museum|Full Review]]have fun. And this book, spinning off from the four books this partnership has so far been responsible for, is certainly a provider of that.}}<!-- V&A -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=Jones_Colouring| styletitle="widthThe Colouring Book of Cards and Envelopes: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Unicorns and Rainbows|author=Rebecca Jones|rating=5[[image:V&A_Patchwork.jpg|leftgenre=Crafts|linksummary=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0500293260?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0500293260]]  | style="vertical-alignI have a problem with many colouring books for children: top; textsome initial effort goes into the colouring, but the chances are that little will be kept on a long-align: left;"|===[[Patchwork term basis and Quilting: A Makerit's Guide by Victoria not particularly satisfying. How much better would it be if the colouring produced something which could be sent to someone else, who would appreciate that it's unique and that effort and Albert Museum]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Categorycare has gone into the card? How much better to give a child something like ''The Colouring Book of Cards and Envelopes:Unicorns and Rainbows'' than an ordinary colouring book which will soon be discarded?}}{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:CraftsFrontpage|Crafts]], [[:Category:Artisbn=Tristram_Year|Art]] Patchwork is a magical crafttitle=My Year in Small Drawings: you can take relatively small pieces of material and turn them into another piece of material with Notice, Draw, Appreciate|author=Matilda Tristram|rating=4.5|genre=Crafts|summary=In recent years there has been an entirely different pattern. Quilting converts a topper and a backing fabric with some wadding upsurge in between into a fabric the publication of an entirely different weight. Combine the two crafts and you have something more than magical'interactive' books, occasionally fashionable but always deeply satisfyingdesigned to spark our creativity. But where to startColouring books for adults, when there are so many different styles of both crafts? One answer is to read as well as my teenage daughter's current favourite: 'Patchwork and Quilting: A Maker's GuideWreck This Journal,'' which looks - as the cover says - at styles from Italian trapunto seek to tap into our creative side, whilst promoting mindfulness and relaxation. By actively encouraging us to Korean jogakbo slow down and then delivers fifteen projects inspired by look at the V&A collectionsworld around us, books like these enable us to take time out of our busy lives and just enjoy the present moment. [[Patchwork and Quilting: A Maker's Guide by Victoria and Albert Museum|Full Review]] <!-- BM -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:BM_OrigamiAnd this method must be working because they are proving incredibly popular. I was intrigued, therefore, at the idea behind ''My Year in Small Drawings,'' which invites readers to create a visual diary of the world around us by creating a series of small pictures on a given subject.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0857639382?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0857639382]]}}{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Flintham_Around|title=Around the World Colouring Book|author=Thomas Flintham|rating=4|genre=[[Origami, Poems and Pictures by The British Museum]]===Crafts [[image:5star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]]Colouring books are a useful way for children to relax, [[:Category:Art|Art]] Sometimes you find a delight of a book. On an afternoon when it was unseasonably cold and decidedly wet I discovered ''Origamidevelop manual dexterity and explore colour, Poems and Pictures'' and I was transported but in the dash to Japan. As appeal to the child so many miss the title suggests weopportunity to be gently educational ''re looking at three celebrated arts and crafts: '' to still appeal to the ancient art of paper folding, haiku poetry and painting. Iyoung. The two are not mutually exclusive! Look for instance at this colouring book: it'll confess that it was the origami which caught my attention, but I was surprised by s got page upon page of pictures to colour (with just a little narrative to set the extent to which scene) with the rest added attraction of four pages of the book caught my imaginationstickers. We begin with something very simple: a boat You'll see grey shapes - and in case youthat're worried, all s the entries have a degree of difficulty (from 'simple' through signal to 'tricky') and this one is at the lowest level. [[Origami, Poems and Pictures by The British Museum|Full Review]]get stickering!}} <!-- Ljung -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=Rutherford_Rainforest| styletitle="widthRainforest Masks: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Ten 3D Rainforest Masks to Press Out and Make|author=Gavin Rutherford and Tanya Batrak[[image:Ljung_Butterfly|rating=4.jpg5|leftgenre=Crafts|linksummary=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1847809154/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-alignI have been having the most tremendous fun making rainforest masks: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Build you know the effect that you get when a really talented face artist does a young child's face and you ''see'' the tiger? Well, this is an even better result and it's in 3D. All the creatures are, as you would expect, from the rainforest regions of the world, but there's decidedly more here than the usual suspects.. Butterfly by Kiki Ljung]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Children's Non-Fiction|Children's Non-Fiction]] You get a green iguana, toucan, jaguar, [[:Category:Animals emperor tamarin, blue morpho butterfly, red-eyed tree frog, Brazilian tapir, giant otter, blue-and Wildlife|Animals -yellow macaw and Wildlife]], [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] I love butterflies: they're one of the delights of my garden and it's always a pleasure when there are children there and they see a butterfly close up, possibly for the first time, as it rests on a flower. Kiki Ljung has given us the opportunity to learn about butterflies and also to build a 3D model of our own. The book is primarily aimed at the five to eight year old age group, but I have to confess that I had a great deal of fun building my own painted lady. I learned quite a bit too! [[Build a ... Butterfly by Kiki Ljung|Full Review]]<br> <!-- MULDOON -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Muldoon_Gift.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788000099/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Gift Boxes to Colour and Make: A Year of Celebrations by Eilidh Muldoon]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] Have you ever tried wrapping a small gift, or those handmade sweets or biscuits you've prepared for a friend? It's not easy is it? If you use wrapping paper the gift tends to lose ''presence'' and once you start to use glass jars the gift becomes really quite expensive and less easy to transport. Do you find colouring relaxing and rewarding but somehow it feels just a little bit ''too'' indulgent if all you do is turn to the next page and start colouring that? Would you get more out of it if you could use what you've coloured for a practical purpose? The ideal solution to both problems is ''Gift Boxes to Colour and Make: A Year of Celebrations'' by Eilidh Muldoon. [[Gift Boxes to Colour and Make: A Year of Celebrations by Eilidh Muldoon|Full Review]] <!-- Reeve -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Reeve_Pug.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0192764047/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Pug-a-Doodle-Do! by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] I was reading a book so utterly different to this the other day, it has to bear mention. It was an exceedingly academic book about graphic novels and comics for the YA audience, and it featured an essay picking up on the way books like the fill-in-bits-yourself entries in the Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries series (such as [[Dork Diaries: How to Dork Your Diary by Rachel Renee Russell|this one]]) let you interact with the franchise, and also to create your own content. There was some weird high-falutin' academic language to describe such books – but you know what? I say (redacted) to that – let's just hang it and have fun. And this book, spinning off from the four books this partnership has so far been responsible for, is certainly a provider of that. [[Pug-a-Doodle-Do! by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre|Full Review]] <!-- Jones -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Jones_Colouring.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788000897/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Colouring Book of Cards and Envelopes: Unicorns and Rainbows by Rebecca Jones]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] I've a problem with many colouring books for children: some initial effort goes into the colouring, but the chances are that little will be kept on a long-term basis and it's not particularly satisfying. How much better would it be if the colouring produced something which could be sent to someone else, who would appreciate that it's unique and that effort and care has gone into the card? How much better to give a child something like ''The Colouring Book of Cards and Envelopes: Unicorns and Rainbows'' than an ordinary colouring book which will soon be discarded? [[The Colouring Book of Cards and Envelopes: Unicorns and Rainbows by Rebecca Jones|Full Review]] <!-- Tristram -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Tristram_Year.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1782405348/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[My Year in Small Drawings: Notice, Draw, Appreciate by Matilda Tristram]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] In recent years there has been an upsurge in the publication of 'interactive' books, designed to spark our creativity. Colouring books for adults, as well as my teenage daughter's current favourite: ''Wreck This Journal,'' seek to tap into our creative side, whilst promoting mindfulness and relaxation. By actively encouraging us to slow down and look at the world around us, books like these enable us to take time out of our busy lives and just enjoy the present moment. And this method must be working, because they are proving incredibly popular. I was intrigued, therefore, at the idea behind ''My Year in Small Drawings,'' which invites readers to create a visual diary of the world around us by creating a series of small pictures on a given subject. [[My Year in Small Drawings: Notice, Draw, Appreciate by Matilda Tristram|Full Review]] <!-- Flintham -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Flintham_Around.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788000005/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Around the World Colouring Book by Thomas Flintham]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] Colouring books are a useful way for children to relax, develop manual dexterity and explore colour, but in the dash to appeal to the child so many miss the opportunity to be gently educational ''and'' to still appeal to the young. The two are not mutually exclusive! Look for instance at this colouring book: it's got page upon page of pictures to colour (with just a little narrative to set the scene) with the added attraction of four pages of stickers. You'll see grey shapes - and that's the signal to get stickering! [[Around the World Colouring Book by Thomas Flintham|Full Review]] <!-- Rutherford -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Rutherford_Rainforest.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1782404430/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Rainforest Masks: Ten 3D Rainforest Masks to Press Out and Make by Gavin Rutherford and Tanya Batrak]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crafts|Crafts]] I have been having the most tremendous fun making rainforest masks: you know the effect that you get when a really talented face artist does a young child's face and you ''see'' the tiger? Well, this is an even better result and it's in 3D. All the creatures are, as you would expect, from the rainforest regions of the world, but there's decidedly more here than the usual suspects. You get a green iguana, toucan, jaguar, emperor tamarin, blue morpho butterfly, red-eyed tree frog, Brazilian tapir, giant otter, blue-and-yellow macaw and the emerald tree boa. Never the emerald tree boa. Never heard of some of them? Well, don't worry: the book is gently educational, with a paragraph telling you just enough about the creature. [[Rainforest Masks: Ten 3D Rainforest Masks to Press Out and Make by Gavin Rutherford and Tanya Batrak|Full Review]] <!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->|}}