FOLD ME A POEM

Accurately rendered origami animals and other models made from an array of brilliantly patterned papers parade across a young folder’s table and around a thematic set of short, pithy poems: “Folding a snake? / Need advice? / Be precissssssse.” Sometimes the creatures voice the lines, as when a rabbit complains that it can’t hear because its ears are too sharply creased. More often it’s the child, greeting a newly-made rooster in the morning, crafting tulips to go with a flock of pleated peacocks, separating rabbits and foxes (“I don’t want trouble”), fussing over an ostrich damaged by a cat of the furry sort, folding boats for a bath-time excursion and finally snuggling into bed with a rustling cricket. There are no step diagrams, so this engrossing collaboration is more a motivator than a teaching resource—but Stringer supplies a list of classic titles for beginners at the end, and (librarians: be warned!) the square, brightly colored endpapers make tempting, oh so tempting starter sheets. (Picture book/poetry. 6-9)