Crafty Bags for Stylish Girls: Uniquely Chic Purses, Pouches & Pocketbooks

School Library Journal

Gr 5–8
Hauser offers more than 40 ideas for bags that are imaginative and playful. The projects are arranged into sections with fanciful titles such as "Holiday Bag Bliss" and "The Enchanting Evening Bag." Each one begins with a short descriptive paragraph that is informal, snappy, and likely to appeal to the target audience. The stylized illustrations are likewise age appropriate. Many of the crafts involve dressing up an already existing item, while others give instructions for making a bag out of felt or other materials. Clear, step-by-step instructions and a color photograph of the finished product are included. Most projects can be completed in about an hour. However, because they are usually assembled with craft glue or a glue gun, it is questionable how durable the finished items would be. As a result, some of them might be more functional as gift bags rather than purses. Most of the projects call for materials that are readily attainable at a craft store, but others (like red fishnet stockings for the pirate purse) are more difficult to find. This book has potential as the basis for a "tween" purse party. For slightly older teens, Jessica Vitkus's Alternacrafts (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2006) has more challenging and functional ideas.
—Donna CardonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.