Sunday, October 28, 2012

Book Review: 'How to Carve Freakishly Cool Pumpkins' by Sarah L. Schuette

✰✰✰ If you haven't already done so, now is the time to purchase your pumpkins. For those looking to create something a little different than your ordinary Jack-o'-lantern, check out the ideas featured in How to Carve Freakishly Cool Pumpkins.

As expected, the book begins with "Carving Basics" for beginners and a list of required tools. From there it gets more interesting. There are directions for 11 creepy pumpkins. My favorites are Spider Bite, Hoot Hoot, and the Puking Pumpkin. Each project includes a list of materials, step-by-step instructions, tips, and a full color photograph of the finished pumpkin. The text uses simple sentences appropriate for kids in grade school, and the projects use readily available materials. The book also includes a glossary and index as well as book suggestions for further reading.

The Bottom Line: If you are interested in transforming your pumpkins into something different this year, check out the ideas in this book. You can make creepy pumpkin critters, owls, mummies, skeletons, cauldrons, and more using pumpkins, gourds, paint, and a few simple tools. This book offers creative fun for kids and adults alike. It's a good place to start if you are looking for new ideas. However, if you are looking for templates, you will have to look elsewhere. There are none inside this book. Projects require adult supervision and some previous experience carving pumpkins would be helpful.

Details: How to Carve Freakishly Cool Pumpkins by Sarah L. Schuette. Hardcover published by Edge Books an imprint of Capstone Press in 2011. p. 32 ISBN: 978-1-4296-5420-3

Capstone Press offers a series of Halloween books for those looking for beginning instructions on carving pumpkins, decorating, sewing costumes, and more. Other titles in the Halloween Extreme set include:

  • How to Make Frightening Halloween Decorations by Catherine Ipcizade ISBN: 978-1-4296-5423-4
  • How to Build Hair-Raising Haunted Houses by Megan Cooley Peterson ISBN: 978-1-4296-5421-0
  • How to Create Spectacular Halloween Costumes by Louann Mattes Brown ISBN: 978-1-4296-5422-7

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