Create with Maisy: A Maisy First Arts-and-Crafts Book

Maisy

by Lucy Cousins

Maisy loves to make-and-do! Paper lanterns, feather masks, food collages ... what will she make today? Painting and drawing, cutting and gluing – Maisy's very first creative book will keep little hands busy making all kinds of wonderful things! With seventeen simple, exciting and fun craft ideas, from making a shoe box house to a magic wax painting, every spread is a feast for the eyes! The book blends together easy-to-follow instructions, classic Maisy illustrations, and spectacular photos of the finished crafts – all made by the inimitable Lucy Cousins herself! And with wipe-clean pages, this title is perfect for messy hands!

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Crafts, Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Lucy Cousins, BA Honours in Graphic Design from The Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Brighton Polytechnic, postgraduate degree from Royal College of Art, is an author-illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her books featuring Maisy Mouse but she has also published other children's books including one about Noah's Ark. She is a mother of four and lives in Hampshire, England. Her own children are the inspiration for her books whose age range is 2-8.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the crafts in this book are familiar and tried-and-true, but I'm always surprised in the library by the numbers of parents who admit to total craft phobia and/or ignorance, so for total newbies, this will be great.

Along those lines, what I love this book for is these instructions: "The instructions are very simple, and you don't need to follow them if you have your own ideas. I hope that you will already have most of the things needed in your home, but if not, just use something different." This is followed up by the materials lists for each craft...rather than calling it, "What You'll Need" the list is "Maisy Uses." As in, YOU can use something else.

(Everybody take a deep breath--there is no wrong way to do art.)

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Maisy.

There were some cute crafts in this book.

However, most of the crafts weren't the best choice for the very young children who love Maisy.

One example is the Beady Butterfly. To make it, children need to cut a butterfly body from cardboard, paint it, thread beads onto pipe cleaners and then bend the pipe cleaners into the desired shapes. Pretty advanced skills for a toddler (who probably shouldn't be working with beads since they're a choking risk).

deep sigh. The search for toddler appropriate crafts continues....

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Create with Maisy is a wonderful first arts-and-crafts book for preschool thru 2nd grade. Adults will love the simple instructions and large, colorful photos illustrating each craft. Young children will have fun creating art with familiar materials such as poster paints, cardboard, beads, and tissue paper. If you are looking for a fun after school or weekend project, please pick up this book and get crafty! Recommended for preschool thru 2nd grade. Reviewed by: Alyson D., Youth Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another new book out of the box. This is an oversize craft books for younger kids. Most of the activities look like they would be best done at home one-on-one but there are a few that I think could be adapted for school or library use.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

good craft ideas to do with preschoolers - give to parents for home activities

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naomi says, "I love all these crafts! Let's do crafts right now!"

[Ally McCulloch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty ideas for things to do with kids, but not quite what I was hoping for.