Easy Origami Decorations

April 1, 2017
Gr 2 Up-Intermediate folders can learn five origami models per volume and then combine those models into three functional crafts, such as greeting cards or scrapbook pages. Reference guides at the front of the books demonstrate the basic folds that will be used in the models through color photos and text descriptions. What really distinguishes this set, though, is the coordinated video content. Like putting on eyeliner and doing home repairs, origami, with its difficult-to-describe folds, inversions, and squashes, is perhaps best demonstrated in motion. The Capstone 4D app works on tablets and smartphones. Navigation is simple: focus the device's camera on any page with instructions, and the app will bring up a series of short videos in which a pair of steady adult hands demonstrates each step. VERDICT Next-level origami instruction ideal for classroom or club use.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2017
Grades 2-4 Although the series name, Origami Crafting in 4D, is a bit of a misnomer, the app created to accompany it (that's the so-called fourth dimension) is relatively helpful. In this title, kids are given five easy origami projects plus three crafts that turn their paper sculptures into decorations: the butterfly becomes a magnet, cubes are transformed into lanterns, and so on. The book begins with a guide to basic folds, terms, and notations that crafters will need to know to complete each project. Photo-illustrated, step-by-step instructions guide kids through the origami portion of the book, and if they get stuck, they can visit the series website or cue up the app for a (soundless) video demonstrationjust scan the page and start folding. Basic but easy-to-follow, this guide nicely accommodates different learning styles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
This series adds a "fourth dimension" to traditional origami paper-folding with a downloadable app that guides viewers through folding steps, demonstrated and narrated by a child instructor. The books are suitable on their own, but the app should make the simple folds even more accessible. Each origami object turns into a decorative craft with the use of yarn, wire, hot glue, etc. Reading list.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)