Let’s Make Faces

“The world is filled with faces waiting to be discovered,” writes Piven (My Best Friend Is as Sharp as a Pencil), the clown prince of animism. And if those faces aren’t instantly evident, Piven instructs children how to make them from things all around them, including produce, backyard detritus, hardware, and the kind of stuff found in every family’s odds and ends drawer (plastic whistle, toy car wheels). He offers inspiration and examples of emotions and states of being (goofy, scared, sleepy) as well as archetypes (mommy, daddy, monster), while implicitly encouraging readers to look beyond conventional circle-shaped faces with ones shaped like a teardrop or even a weird footprint. Each creation occupies a single page and is shown on vivid solid background to emphasize the shape and dimensionality of every contributing element. Piven wraps up with a “How to Make Faces” section that includes seven upbeat instructions applicable to just about any endeavor undertaken at any age, such as: “Watch for all the happy mistakes! Lots of good ideas will happen by chance. Be aware of them. Look out for them!” Ages 3–8. (Aug.)