Good Earth Art

December 1, 1991
Gr 3 Up- -A presentation of craft projects that are supposed to be good for the Earth. However, the use of new plastic bags, aluminum foil, styrofoam, and food products make this claim questionable. Using blocks of cheese for sculpture, even if one eats the results, is wasteful. Using matchboxes (with matches in them) for artwork seems awfully tempting for most children, and the melting of styrofoam and plastic in the oven is dangerous no matter what cautions are given. The inclusion of a thorough index, bibliography, and list of governmental organizations do not add enough to elevate this above most craft manuals. The black-and-white illustrations do not always support the intended projects or make the directions more comprehensible. Although there are a few original ideas, this is a marginal choice for most collections. -Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, Trinity Pawling School, NY