Ochester, Betsy. Look What You Can Make with Egg Cartons. Essential Learning Products, 2000. ISBN 9781563979064. 48 pp. $7.00

Tons of cheap and fun ideas are packed into this slim paperback that encourages individual creativity so much it doesn’t include any patterns. A diagram of a dissected egg carton, with appropriate areas labeled, might have been helpful to those who learn visually. That is a lot of text, and many steps are combined into one, sometimes to a disadvantage. The “You Will Need:” box on each activity is beneficial. Left out of the “Getting Started” section is a note about safety and asking an adult for help when cutting.

The highlight of the book are the seasonal craft ideas–many of us are tired of doing the same old thing. Many of the crafts can easily be adapted to preschool level or made complex enough for middle school students. The versatility is a real advantage. Well worth the price, in spite of its flaws.