What Can You Do With an Old Red Shoe Book

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love recycling crafts and this 'green' craft book offers plenty of them. Kids can learn what to do with a variety of items that might end up in the garbage such as an orphaned flip-flop, a ripped shower curtain, a worn blanket, and - of course - an old red shoe! They are learn why recycling is so important and other ways they can help the environment.

While many of the kid's craft books on the market today seem to be more like how-to manuals written for adults, this book is written more like a child's story book. Each project introduces a new character and includes a poem about them and the item they are recycling. Kids can follow along with a bunny named Sarah as she loses a flip-flop and then transform the other into a stamp for making art. They can learn how to transform a ripped shower curtain into a unique art apron from a friendly alligator named Fred. Ruby, a grey tabby cat, shows them exactly what they can do to save an old red shoe from being thrown into the garbage.

The step-by-step directions in this book are easy to follow along with and they include colored illustrations to help guide kids and introduce them to the book's characters. Some of the projects do require an adult's assistance, as noted in the table of contents, but many can be done with simple supervision. Hopefully, kids will try the projects in this book and be inspired to use their imagination to create other crafts by recycling.

Besides the great projects and fun characters shared by the author, there is also a section of the book that explains what else kids and their families can do to support reuse and recycling. Those are good projects for everyone!