Synopsis: Artist Sophie Benini Pietromarchi takes readers on a journey through the world of the book, giving ideas and tips on how to make books from everyday materials.

Review: This lovely book is packed full of exciting collage and ideas for anyone who's interested in making their own book.

'Books are like houses' reads the opening line. The author compares opening the cover of a book to opening a door in a house, and entering the artist's own space. The market is full of books on how to make artist books and scrapbooks, yet this one seems less intimidating than most. For starters, it looks a bit like a kit in itself, with its lovely rounded edges and manageably small size. And it doesn't give intimidatingly elegant photos of 'perfect' books that will scare off a reader who has no budget for expensive papers and fastenings. For the past few years, shops have been springing up where, for a sizeable amount of money, one can buy pre-made scrapbooking supplies. Instead, this book promotes work that is more affordable and more artistically cutting edge.

The book's pages are filled with vibrant and unruly collage, reminiscent of work by recent illustrators such as Sara Fanelli, Matthew Richardson and Anna Laura Cantone, that give readers the impression that there really are no rules in making an interesting book. At the same time, there are plenty of practical suggestions about materials: how to use every part of a pencil including the shavings and the dust, how to make a TV screen out of sticky tape, making covers out of different kinds of cardboard boxes, using the kitchen spice rack to make textured collages, collecting leaves, marbling paper, making papier maché. It also gives tips on writing, and simple exercises to come up with story ideas.

Toward the end, it gives tips on storyboarding and diagrams of different kinds of book construction, such as accordion books, books that scroll through minature TV sets and books made from leaves.

At the very end of the book, Pietromarchi gives tips on running a book making workshop. She includes six cases studies from a workshop she ran in Italy with of children aged 5 - 13, using a box of scrap papers sent to her from India. This section demonstrates the differences in approach and ability that might be expected within the age range. But both the 5-year-old and 13-year-old were able to use the same questions in the writing exercises to come up with ideas.

The book's fairly advanced reading level means this isn't the kind of book you'd hand to a 5-year-old to use on her own. But an even younger child could use this book if an adult was helping, and a child of 10 (or 50) would love to sneak away with it and try out a few ideas herself. Indian publishing house, Tara Publishing, has been coming out with some unique titles recently. They may be a group to watch.

2008-01-10