CHECK IT OUT:

With the holiday season approaching, it’s a great time to introduce children to crafts and direct all that creative energy toward making a handmade gift, card or seasonal decoration.

Newport Beach Public Library has more than 100 children’s craft books filled with activities to do at home with your friends and family.

Here are samples of the crafty books you can find at any of our four locations:

 “Creative Crafts for Kids: Over 100 Fun Projects for Two to Ten Year Olds” by Gill Dickinson. There are plenty of ideas for ways to keep little hands busy in this book, packed with directions for making more than 100 craft projects, including T-shirt cards, skull masks, fridge magnets, lip balm and cookies. Details on materials, time and age range for each project make it easy to select just the right craft.

 “Make Yourself a Monster!: A Book of Creepy Crafts” by Kathy Ross. Just in time for Halloween! Check out this book for instructions on 20 craft projects with a monster theme that are created using common household materials.

 “Making Cool Crafts & Awesome Art: A Kids’ Treasure Trove of Fabulous Fun” by Roberta Gould. In addition to a variety of hands-on art and craft activities, this book incorporates storytelling, ethnic cooking, music, nature, cultural games and more.

 “Crafts to Make in the Fall” by Kathy Ross. This collection of 29 easy-to-make craft projects with autumn themes, including a fall tree lapel pin, a crow rod puppet, and a soft sculpture pumpkin, will make little crafters happy to move indoors for their after school activities.

 “Kids’ Pumpkin Projects: Planting & Harvest Fun” by Deanna F. Cook. Ninety color illustrations accompany instructions for 50 projects and activities involving pumpkins, including growing them, using them in recipes, and making things out of them.

Have fun exploring the shelves of craft books at the Newport Beach Public Library at any of its locations: Central, Mariners, Balboa and Corona del Mar. Check out these and other wonderful and fully illustrated books for fun times at home and even create your own craft club or, better yet, if your child is in kindergarten through second grade, bring them to the Library’s Craft Club.

Craft Club is held from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Central Library on the third Tuesday of every month and at the Donna and John Crean Mariners Branch Library on the second Tuesday of every month. It is a free and fun program that just requires online registration via our kids’ website at www.newportkids.org. Registration opens one month prior to each event.

Our next fun-filled Craft Club at Central will be held on Nov. 18 and will be jam-packed with outta-this-world crafts!

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.