Skipping all preliminaries, Llimós dives right into her first craft: "Coffin." It's this get-down-to-business approach that kids will welcome; nowhere in the instructions are there puns or cheery exclamations gumming up the works. In simple language and bright pictures, 11 crafts are laid out, including the magnum opus: a cardboard haunted house that takes four pages to get through (but pays off by housing the other creations). Hint: stock up on clay, because nearly every craft involves it. The cleverest suggestions, however, involve the household items that can be used alongside clay, from toilet paper tubes to toothpicks. Reminders to "Ask permission first!" pop up when relevant, and there's only one instance of that biggest of bummers: finding out, halfway through a craft, that you need to "let dry overnight." Argh! Small illustrated versions of the final products cavort across the pages, and story ideas conclude.

Each volume provides engaging craft ideas through creative use of materials including clay, paper, cardboard, and yarn. The texts encourage readers to make colorful figures and props, then imagine their own story adventures. The steps can be hard to follow as numbered directions dance across the pages, not always from left to right. Cartoony illustrations and sample stories are included. Reading list, websites. Ind.