View source for The Pencil Book by Miri Flower

{{infobox2
|title=The Pencil Book
|sort=Pencil Book, The
|author=Miri Flower
|reviewer=Louise Jones
|genre=Crafts
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9780711235847
|pages=128
|publisher=Frances Lincoln
|date=October 2014
|aznuk=0711235848
|aznus=0711235848
|cover=0711235848
|website=http://www.herewearetogether.com
|video=
|summary=A fabulous craft book full of inventive, creative and fun projects using the humble pencil.
}}
Summer is almost over. Gone are the carefree days playing outdoors in the sunshine with friends. Here come the rainy days and dark evenings, heralding the inevitable cry of: ''I'm bored!''. Author and craft-blogger Miri Flower (fantastic name!) comes to the rescue of harassed parents everywhere with her new series of art books which encourage children to utilise simple materials to create fun games and artwork. ''The Pencil Book'' sees the humble pencil takes centre stage, with seventy projects to keep kids engaged and amused.  

The book is divided into six sections, with each section making use of pencils in innovative ways. The best example of this is the ''Crafty Pencils'' segment, which features pencils as the infrastructure for sculptures, collages and even a weaving loom. After all, who says pencils can only be used for drawing and colouring?

Another section that I really enjoyed was ''Pencil Games'', featuring some old childhood favourites such as Hangman; Heads, Bodies, Feet; Dots and Boxes; and even a PC version of Battleships called Feed the Birds! These games have stood the test of time and can now be enjoyed by a new generation.

Visually, the book is stunning, with plenty of full-page colour pictures of the finished projects. The layout of the book is simple and the projects are ideal for young children to share with parents or for older children to tackle alone. I also liked the fact that the projects all utilise materials that can be found in most homes. There is no need to go to a specialist art shop to buy equipment. I remember having a beautiful art book as a child, but I never completed any of the projects because I didn't have any of the specialist items needed. This book is refreshingly different.

''The Pencil'' book should be an essential part of every parent's armoury, ready to be whipped out in a pre-emptive strike during long, boring rainy days. Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy and to the author for helping to save the sanity of parents everywhere. Miri Flower: I salute you.

For more great crafting ideas, try out [[Paper Play by Lydia Crook]]

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[[Category:Children's Non-Fiction]]