SHADOW THEATER

Hand shadows, jointed shadow puppets, and a brief puppet play are included in this visually attractive title in the ``Rainy Days'' series. Unfortunately, the directions for creating and operating the puppets are frustratingly brief: ``The songbird is made in two parts and is jointed in such a way that its mouth opens and closes as it sings. Use the pattern if you need help''- -but the pattern doesn't help, while the accompanying photo is too small to be useful. Directions for a lion tamer and for an orchestra that plays are also unduly complicated; the patterns provided are so small that only a skillful cutter will be able to follow the fine detail. Good ideas, but poorly realized.~(Nonfiction. 8-10)