LOO-LOO, BOO, AND ART YOU CAN DO

TV stars Loo-Loo and Boo walk readers through potato printmaking, mask creation, collage, and sculpture in this useful art primer intended to reach budding craftspeople at their own level. The projects are simple, and most can be executed with materials found around the house, such as food coloring, boxes, newspaper, and flour. Stinky clay, made with pickle juice or vinegar, is likely to be a favorite project. Roche is specific on procedures and is careful to instruct children to lay down newspapers, ask parents before borrowing materials, and use plastic knives when they cut potatoes. Happily, though, details are light when it comes to content, other than a few rudimentary examples, so that readers will be able to make their own stylistic choices about the end products. Roche's illustrations, primitive and antic, are sure to entice readers into a world of art that inspires rather than intimidates. (Picture book. 4-9)