Art2-D2's Guide to Folding and Doodling (an Origami Yoda Activity Book)

In this excellent activity-book offshoot of Angleberger's bestselling Origami Yoda series, Kellen, Tommy, and other kids from McQuarrie Middle School guide readers through drawing and folding origami Star Wars characters like Origami Yoda, Fortune Wookiee, and Kirigami General Grievous. Several color origami pages are bound into the book ("Do you know how much it cost to have them printed?" writes Kellen. "A lot!!!!!"), and additional activities include writing dramatic lettering and creating prints using ink and Silly Putty. The banter and tongue-and-cheek humor of the previous books is present, along with encouragement: "You can make your origami puppets fight.... Use the force... of your thumb!" Ages 8-12. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Gr 3-6--Fans (and nonfans, if there are any) of the "Origami Yoda" series (Abrams) and website will find new opportunities aplenty for foolery in this spinoff compendium of progressively challenging hands-on instructions for drawing, folding, and goofing around with (mostly) Star Wars characters. First, Angleberger builds on simply drawn instructions and blank practice space ("Scribble in this box you must!") for "Jedi Super-Doodlers" with step diagrams for folding finger puppet "doodle-gami"-beginning with a generic figure requiring just three folds but highlighted by a challenging Darth Paper with Annakin's face beneath a hidden pleat. Following projects range from full-size costumes made from bulletin board paper to a rocket constructed from an emptied tube of lip balm; prints created with toys and inked silly putty molds; and even advice for taking good photos of finished work. Readers will take to heart Yoda's "Doodle or doodle not! There is no try!" though the empty fill-in panels, plus several detachable sheets of colored paper for folding, will be problematic for library use.--John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City