Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Fold Me a Poem
Illustrator: Lauren Stringer
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 6 to 9
Harcourt Children's Books, 2005 ISBN: 978-0152025014
Origami is the traditional Japanese art of folding paper to create little paper animals and flowers. Often people who enjoy creating Origami use special paper that can be one solid color or that is printed with many intricate and colorful designs. Though the paper creations look simple, some of them take a lot of skill to make.
In this book the author explores the world of origami in a unique way, taking us into through the day of a little boy who enjoys making the often beautiful paper sculptures. We begin in the morning, when the little boy greets the day with an origami rooster. A buffalo with a “shaggy head” gallops across the tablecloth during breakfast. There is a camel on the table too, but something went wrong with the folding process and the poor animal is not standing up properly. The boy leans the camel against a salt shaker “sand dune” so that he can “double-check the directions.”
In his room, the little boy’s green origami dog has three new dogs friends made with printed paper. On the book shelf a black crow origami is hiding in the shadows, and a lion and cheetah are racing across the floor to see who is fastest.
The little boy spreads out his origami paper on a table and examines his treasure trove of colors. What will he make next?
In this lovely book clever illustrations are paired with beautifully spare yet evocative poems to show us how simple paper animals can brighten a boy’s day, providing him with hours full of creativity and play. After reading this book young readers might be tempted to try making some origami animals and flowers themselves
