Sort-of-Difficult Origami

November 1, 2008
Gr 2-6-Children will be delighted by these colorful books. While each book perforce must contain some of the same information in terms of the basic folds, materials, etc., an effort is made to vary what is included in the fun facts, glossary, and read more sections with little duplication. Easy includes such projects as the simple seven-step paper cup, while Difficult has a 35-step frog. Some of the projects are purely decorative, while others have practical application, such as bookmarks, envelopes, and boxes. All of them have clearly illustrated diagrams and attractive photos of the completed projects using different colors and textures of paper. In order to experience success, readers should use the books in order.

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2008
Grades 2-5 As the name implies, this origami title is not for novices. Still, newcomers to this ancient paper art will find some basic explanations about materials and folding techniques in the introduction to this picture-book series title. On spreads that combine color photos with line drawings, the instructions move through each step involved in creating the mostly animal-themed projects, and visual arrows indicating the direction of folds add further clarity. The final images of the finished animals in appropriate settings, such as the paper penguins skating on what resembles real ice, add some whimsy, and a glossary and suggested reading round out the title. Nimble-fingered practitioners who master these projects will want to move on to Difficult Origami, another title in the Origami series; novices should probably try Not-Quite-So-Easy Origami.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)