More-igami

K-Gr 2—Joey loves anything that folds (road maps, accordions, foldaway beds). When Sarah Takimoto's mother gives his class an origami demonstration, he finds his passion. ("Joey's eyes popped. His jaw dropped. Mrs. Takimoto called it origami.") Origami does not come easily for Joey, but he heeds the counsel of Mrs. Takimoto: "If you want to be an origami master, you'll need practice and patience." Heartfelt and amusing illustrations done in gouache and pencil on paper show Joey's many efforts to make a crane from homework, sheet music, newspapers, and even paper money littered throughout the house, until his mother can take no more. Fortunately, at the Mexican restaurant next door, he finds solace in the fajitas, encouragement from Mr. Lopez, and an enormous supply of napkins on which to practice his folds. He manages the elusive paper crane just in time to impress a girl walking in, and he begins to teach her the finer points of practice and patience. Backgrounds use color and geometric lines to mimic paper folds that cleverly break up sequences of spot art and bring out the idea of origami throughout. For readers with Joey's enthusiasm for folding, the story ends with easy-to-follow instructions for making an origami ladybug.