Jungle Animal Origami - Softcover

Gr. 4-12. Origami master Nguyen offers another title of challenging exercises for nimble paper artists. An introductory section reviews materials and basic folds in clear language and diagrams, but the projects (not rated for difficulty) are intricate constructions of animals that require fairly advanced skills. The book title is misleading as most of the "jungle animals" in the projects actually live in the African savannah, and not all of the finished projects bear an immediate resemblance to the animals they represent. But young people with some paper-folding experience and who are willing to practice will be able to follow the mostly accessible instructions, and they'll enjoy Nguyen's charge to paint, embellish, and personalize their creations to make them more imaginative or realistic: "After all, a zebra without stripes is just a horse." As in his Fantasy Origami (2002), Nguyen enhances the sense of realism with photos of the finished origami animals in natural, grassy habitats. Not a necessary purchase, but useful for serious origami enthusiasts. Gillian Engberg
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Grade 4 Up--Despite an opening section of paperfolding basics, these 14 animal projects are not for beginners--nor are they for origami purists who object to using scissors and glue. Practiced folders, however, should achieve satisfactory results, thanks to lucid step diagrams and multiple color photos of finished models. As in Nguyen's previous collections, the models are unusually stylized, even for origami. Except for the giraffe, gorilla, water buffalo, and possibly the ostrich, none are easily recognizable (nor, for that matter, are they "jungle" animals), even after being spray or brush painted, as the author suggests. Still, for libraries serving skilled folders, this makes a promising additional purchase.--John Peters, New York Public Library
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