Books published by publisher Lark Books,U.S.

Introducing a new crafts series for kids 8 to 12! With great care and love for their art, the talented experts at Lark have always produced books that encouraged creativity, experimentation, and imagination in the crafter. Now they're ready and eager to help children express themselves artistically. And you can be sure that every one of these delightful guides will virtually burst with fun projects, simple instructions, appealing photos, original techniques, and terrific materials. Polymer clay is the perfect material for youngsters: in addition to polymer's pliability, it doesn't dry out like regular clay, comes in a range of bright colors, and can bake in an ordinary oven. And the most important tools are your hands, so children can really dig in and feel the tactile joy of manipulating their work. With the help of a renowned polymer clay artist, kids can create 30 awesome objects. A comprehensive basics section covers everything from rolling, cutting and sculpting to figuring out amounts, conditioning the clay, mixing new colors, and creating textures. Kids will really love the cool tricks, too, including marbling and embedding objects. But what will really stir their creative juices are the really super projects, including a Donut Pendant, Bug Magnets, Trinket Bowl, Plant Critters, Fat Pen, Spirit Guide Doll, and Computer Monitor Wizard.

What will entice kids into the kitchen and turn them into budding chefs? Try yummy baked apples, to-die-for brownies, crunchy, munchy stove-popped popcorn with peanuts and chocolateÑall found in this lie-flat, spiral-bound cookbook made just for them. Inside, hungry snackers will find foods they can prepare to fill up that after-school empty belly, sate a postgame appetite, and banish movie-watching cravings. And, most important, all these bite-size mini-meals are fun to make, delicious, and (keep it a secret) healthy. A handy basics section includes details on how to read a recipe and teaches kids everything from creating a work space to presentation. Before long, confident youngsters will smoothly prepare such tasty dishes as guacamole, cheese straws, and baked chicken fingers.

What’s that delicious smell coming from the oven? It’s the aroma of biscuits, stuffed calzones, and glazed cinnamon rolls all baked by kids! These irresistible recipes—from brioche to baguettes, spanakopita to stuffed calzone, cobblers to custard—are guaranteed to lure young chefs to the kitchen. And they’ll feel confident cooking, too, because Rose Dunnington’s follow-up to Big Snacks, Little Meals and Delicious Drinks to Sip, Slurp, Gulp & Guzzle provides all the basics. She explains how to create a workspace; read a recipe; mix and knead; present fresh-baked foods for any occasion for friends and family; and more. Plus, each recipe in this lay-flat, concealed spiral cookbook features a color photo of the finished dish and plenty of helpful how-tos to guide beginners.

From colorful shoelaces to shimmering amulet bags, these 50 crocheted creations will enchant kids and take them from the very beginning to a more experienced level. Even children who have never picked up a pair of needles will master the fundamentals quickly, thanks to the many detailed directions and instructive, attractive color photos. The fun begins as they try their hand at the basic chain stitch, and then learn to crochet around a ring to make a key chain. Small, accessible projects follow, including a yellow purse with a glass button accent and comfy wool slippers. As kids’ skills increase, they can move on to clothes, toys, backpacks, and more.

Oh, no: mummies have abducted an archeology student! And it’s up to young solvers to save him by finding a path through the perilous desert. The quest begins with clue-laden letters from The Explorer’s Club asking for help in finding the missing archeologist. But what makes this collection extra fun and challenging is that the maze on each lavishly illustrated spread connects to the others in the book, creating, in essence, one giant maze. In order to solve the mystery, readers will have to flip back and forth through the pages. Good luck!

New in Paper"There is something here for everyone [with] easy-to-follow instructions [and] action-packed, full-color photographs....An excellent choice for teachers, librarians, and recreation workers, and for youngsters who are looking for something to do."--School Library JournalFreeze Tag, Capture the Flag, Balloon Blanket Toss: nothing says childhood more than afternoons spent playing outdoors. With the 200 super activities in this comprehensive collection, the fun never ends. Color photos showing happy-looking boys and girls having a fine time invite young readers to join in. So let the games begin--both classic and new, with variations too. Children will have a blast with timeless amusements such as Tug of War, Ultimate Frisbee, Hopscotch, Jump Rope, and cool pool-time ideas. From Hackey Sack to Water Limbo, each game is great, and the simple instructions and other tips make them easy to play.

Another crime for the great Inspector Rockfort to solve! A Countess’s precious stones have been taken from her hotel room, and local police have concluded that one of the hotel’s other guests did the deed. So, Rockfort inspects the seaside resort, looking for jewelry among the cheerfully colorful carousels, greenhouses, and candy and shell shops chock-a-block with goods. But he can use some help, and that’s where kids come in. They have to go through the drawings, searching carefully for the Countess’s missing jewels in each one, and solving fun riddles. By the end, Rockfort and his team of puzzle-loving readers will have figured out whodunit and cracked a tough case.