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Book Review

Asian Kites by Wayne Hosking (Tuttle Publishing, 2005)

Ages 10 and up, younger with help

I've been looking around for a truly simple introduction to kite making. Asian kites does the job. Materials are simple, there's no sewing required, and the kites are cool - not just your plain diamond kites but birds and other animal-inspired shapes.

Each kite design comes from a different Asian country, and introductory text explains the history and culture surrounding the design. Then the book provides clear and simple instructions for making the kite - usually in just four or five steps. And each kite has plenty of room for creative and artistic decoration.

The only drawback is that most of the designs use a material called "silkspan" which is usually used to cover model airplanes. It's pretty hard to get as hobby materials go. But the book provides a web site that sells it at a very reasonable price, so if you're willing to wait a few days you should have no problems.

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