Best Ever Paper Airplanes

Grade 4 Up-Sleek, slick, and beautiful, this volume is just the ticket for paper-airplane enthusiasts. The 18 projects are sophisticated and demanding, designed to be constructed carefully, and arranged in order of increasing complexity. Schmidt begins with a brief discussion of how an airplane flies, followed by a glossary of aeronautical terms. The first four models involve a single sheet of paper carefully scored and folded; the remainder require folding, cutting, gluing, and, often, more than one piece of paper. Background information for each model includes similarities to real-life airplanes based on the particular shape of their fuselage and wing. The book features crisp white diagrams, clear black-type, step-by-step instructions, yellow boxes of special construction information, and magnified views of tricky sections. Anyone studying flight would learn a great deal from these models and have fun in the process.
Carole B. Kirkpatrick, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-7. Schmidt's how-to book on making paper airplanes takes its subject seriously. The result is a well-thought-out and handsome volume that should provide successful projects for careful readers. Included are 18 projects, increasing in complexity from the simple "Egret" to the "Nighthawk," which is modeled on the Lockheed F117. Schmidt also offers brief facts about how airplanes fly as well as tips on basic construction. His ideas for coloring and decorating the projects make the "paper birds" extra special. Adult guidance may be required for many of the projects. Denia Hester