Sneaky Art: Crafty Surprises to Hide in Plain Sight

Gr 2–5—From sweet to silly to sly, this collection of visual surprises will offer crafty tricksters plenty of inspiration. Intended purely for fun-like a good April Fool's joke-an introductory note cautions against ill intent or damage to property. Additional introductory material outlines sources for tools and supplies (mostly stuff found in homes and classrooms), lettering, and "Getting Sneaky!" which addresses the where, when, and how of pulling off the pranks. Involvement ranges from the practically spontaneous "Seeing Red," requiring simply a bit of brightly colored yarn or pipe cleaners wrapped around some dreary exterior surface, to more involved offerings like "Taglines," a gift-tag-styled greeting for attaching to a locker or backpack. Several ideas, like "Post a Poem," using sticky notes, or "Library Shouts," promoting favorite books, offer classroom and special-day fodder. Each idea, accompanied with a full-page color photo, begins with suggestions on where to install the surprise, lists materials, gives construction directions in from one to six easy steps, and then shares "How to Sneak." Several projects have ideas for variations using different materials or changing the design slightly. Set this one out and expect surprising things to begin happening soon.—Carol S. Surges, Longfellow Middle School, Wauwatosa, WI