Readers who want to make toys, tools, functional items, or things that just look cool will find guidance in this series on how to make creative use of a variety of materials. These books encourage makers to consider each material’s properties and imagine how it could be used. Wrap it, smush it, turn it upside down, experiment, and tinker. Readers who prefer more guidance can try any of six medium-skill step-by-step projects. Examples of these finished projects are accessibly rough and ready, balanced with two pages of more aspirational examples of how artists and others have used these materials in the real world. Friendly design elements and pictures of diverse, smiling children add up to an appealing whole. VERDICT Makers who prefer open-ended prompts as well as those who are more comfortable with defined projects are respected in this series.