So You Thought You Couldn't Cut It, A Beginner's Guide to Wood Carving Jim Calder with Jen Coate
Jim Calder is a Master Carver who teaches workshops to adults and kids using his triangle method to carve a face. While Carter usually carves wood, in his workshops and this book, he uses a sweet potato-- it's the right size, easier for beginners to cut through, and when it dries out and looks a lot like wood.
Steps are clearly explained and each step is accompanied by a large, clear, color picture showing Calder's method. I didn't try to carve a sweet potato, so I can't say for sure, but the book makes it look pretty straightforward and do-able. If I had proper carving knives, I might buy a sweet potato and try it out, but I don't have the right tools, so, alas.
An extra exciting part about this book is Jen Coate. This book was published by the Young Writer's Foundation, which mentors writers in K-12, so it's pretty cool that a high school student was paired with Calder and wrote this book.
Today's Nonfiction Monday is hosted over at Jean Little Library.
Book Provided by... the publisher for Cybils consideration
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I wish I had had this book when my son was young ... he independently took up carving a stick with a knife (and we ended up in the emergency room). I like the idea of using a sweet potato for learning the tips instead.
This sounds great! My kids love perfecting their knife skills so a book like this might be a hit. Thanks for sharing.