View source for Pattern Play: Cut, Fold and Make Your Own 3D Animal Models by Danielle Kroll and Nghiem Ta

{{infobox2
|title=Pattern Play: Cut, Fold and Make Your Own 3D Animal Models
|sort=Pattern Play: Cut, Fold and Make Your Own 3D Animal Models
|author=Danielle Kroll and Nghiem Ta
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Nineteen life-like models of wild animals and birds to cut out and fold.  There's great fun to be had for any age from five upwards.  Small parts (the stickers) mean that it's not suitable for children under the age of three and parental supervision might be needed for the use of scissors.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=No
|pages=48
|publisher=Wide Eyed Editions
|date=March 2016
|isbn=978-1847807328
|website=
|video=
|aznuk=1847807321
|aznus=1847807321
|cover=1847807321
}}

Here's a neat idea for you.  Provide pages with animal prints on one side - only by animal prints, I mean the sort of colours and pattern which you see on animals, not paw prints!  Some are subtle and others are rather more in-your-face.  On the reverse of these printed pages provide a cutting line so that you can cut and fold the paper and it becomes a 3D model of an animal.  Provide some stickers which replicate faces, tails or beaks - or whatever else you feel needs highlighting - and number these so that they get into the right place.  All you need to add to the mix is a pair of scissors, parental supervision if necessary for the cutting, a little imagination and you have hours of fun.

Do you think it's a good idea?  So do I. The book's called ''Pattern Play'' and whilst it's aimed at the five-plus age group it's going to suitable for any age which is capable of holding the scissors.  I had great fun making a giraffe and a lion - two of my favourite animals.  The book has a notepad binding so it's easy to pull the pages out without damage, but it's firm enough that the pages don't fall out of their own accord.  (I gave them a good shake to see what happened.  Nothing did.)  There are nineteen patterns in total and they're generally pretty lifelike - the only one which mildly disappointed was the tiger, who looked a little ''depressed'', bless him.

There are instructions - although they could easily be summarised as 'cut, fold, admire' and some background information about why animals have patterns, and which need them for what reason.  All the sheets are eleven inches square and there's more than sufficient paper for each cut-out - with quite a bit to spare - but there are some helpful suggestions to use up the surplus, from collage, through papier mache to decoupage.  The book appears to be paperback - but the back of the book is a substantial piece of millboard which makes a useful working surface.

The illustrations have been done by Danielle Kroll and the models designed by paper engineer Nghiem Ta.  There's a lot of fun to be had here: I currently have a lion walking stealthily across my desk and a giraffe who is attempting to get at the off switch of the computer.  It's a lot of fun and I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

If this book appeals then we think that you might also enjoy [[Make a Mobile: 12 Cool Designs to Press Out and Hang by Lydia Crook]].

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[[Category:Animals and Wildlife]]
[[Category:Crafts]]
[[Category:Danielle Kroll]]
[[Category:Nghiem Ta]]