Loo-Loo, Boo, and Art You Can Do

Crayola-bright gouache illustrations set the stage for this hands-on, please-touch guide to 11 kid-friendly art projects. Serving as teachers, bespectacled Loo-Loo and her sidekick, Boo the dog, address young readers directly, involving them from the very beginning. After a few helpful hints (""Water jars and paint almost always tip over, and it's easier to clean up if you've put down newspapers""), the suggested projects come thick and fast--from potato prints and face masks to papier-mache and even so-called ""stinky clay"" (made with pickle juice, of all things, and sure to be a hit). Roche, a former elementary school art teacher making her publishing debut, prudently fits each project onto a single spread; hands sticky from homemade paste don't have to touch these pages. Step-by-step instructions are divided by bold black lines and set against a variety of colored backgrounds, giving the graphics a stained-glass effect that helps make for a book that's as vibrant and playful visually as it is practical. Ages 4-9. (Sept.)