Learning how to read and follow directions is crucial for all readers. We may not remember the set of instructions we followed to make a macramé plant holder in the third grade, but when we’re troubleshooting library software or setting up a new TV, we are benefiting from years of exposure to process writing. The best of these titles are characterized by concise and easy-to-follow steps. To bolster your arts and crafts and cooking sections, give your students instructional books that will reward their attention and perseverance with tasty or attractive results.

Preschool to Grade 4

Gr 2-4 –Use origami paper to make the best paper airplanes ever, a canoe that really floats, or a hanging paper lantern. Detailed, step-by-step instructions (10–18 per project) and clear photos overlaid with dotted lines and arrows maximize any crafter’s chance at success. Like “Origami Paperpalooza” (Capstone), this series maps out standard folds (mountain, valley, squash) in an introductory section, establishing new vocabulary that is put to good use in each of the six projects per book. Most of these folds result in flat objects, as is typical of simple origami, but each volume culminates in one slightly more complex creation, such as a space shuttle or sea monster. Kids will have fun folding and decorating everything from trains and planes to skulls and Santa. VERDICT Real crowd-pleasers.

Gr 1-3 –These unusually beautiful books spotlighting food cultures around the world let the youngest cooks try their hand at making favorites such as quesadillas, egg rolls, and French toast (with adult supervision). Faced with colorful pictures of tiny bowls of couscous decorated with nuts and spices and focaccia with cherry tomatoes and capers, readers will be encouraged to broaden their culinary horizons. The books include some general content about each cuisine before moving on to a few recipes. The dishes sometimes rely on ingredients like spaghetti sauce from a jar or chicken broth, but the majority use fresh vegetables and other ingredients. Occasional slip-ups (“Cooking has been an important part of the Chinese culture for hundreds of years” will make readers wonder what the Chinese were eating for the previous several thousand years) somewhat diminish the authority of the text, but it is tough to argue with such an attractive presentation of a useful subject. VERDICT Strong additions to cooking collections.

K-Gr 2 –Pumpkins, apples, hayrides, leaves, and Halloween: the traditional hallmarks of autumn are the subjects of these colorful books for very early readers. Full-bleed photos provide contextual clues for the simple text, although not without missteps; Dressing Up for Halloween includes a picture of a woman handing out cherry tomatoes to trick-or-treaters, accompanied by the sentence “We got lots of candy.” Every book in this series has a decidedly suburban or even rural setting, so students in urban areas may not find their own experiences reflected. The books hew closely to traditional gender roles: moms are depicted immersed in domestic activities, such as baking pumpkin and apple pies and sewing Halloween costumes. VERDICT Although nicely printed and substantially bound, this series is recommended only as a replacement for seriously dated material.

Gr 2-5 –Watch a bean’s roots grow. Make a tiny planter out of recycled paper, or a larger one out of a two-liter plastic bottle. Grow plants in the shape of a letter. Readers will pick up new vocabulary along with gardening and craft skills in these attractive, well-photographed books. Detailed, step-by-step instructions, accompanied by at least nine photos per project, will ensure successful completion. Each photo features a gardener’s hands in action, loosening a root ball or patting down soil, demonstrating how to perform each step. These projects bring a little outdoors inside while communicating fascinating information about germination and types of plants. VERDICT Strong, original options to beef up craft sections.

Gr 3-6 –Those who thirst for pictures to copy will find drawings to replicate in these books (a generous 14 per volume) easy to follow, with big, clear demonstration images augmented by unusually detailed text instructions. In fact, the real utility of these books may lie in the abundant use of positional and anatomical vocabulary. Each drawing step appears on a grid, and instructions are color-coded so that new lines are easily distinguished from those from previous directions. Tips about coloring and use of materials appear infrequently but are useful. Occasional vagueness is annoying, and a few animals are excessively cartoony compared to the majority of the other drawings, which are fairly realistic depictions. VERDICT Expensive, but better than average.

Grades 5 & Up

Gr 4-8– Anyone can draw a sea star, sure, but what about a snow leopard? Or a pug with puppies? Readers who imitate the simple blobby shapes shown in step one of each of these titles will be well on their way to drawing remarkably professional-looking animals. Nicely colored finished drawings invite browsing but will be difficult to reproduce without a digital drawing tablet or advanced colored pencil skills. Each project is broken down into four-to-seven steps. Examples include a bear catching a fish, a lion family, and a squiggly octopus. Each project is augmented with a suggestion for stretching that also provides some information about these animals (for instance, draw the penguin diving or the lizard running on its hind legs), but the drawing process used here, with its emphasis on outline and not anatomy, does not teach an artist how to draw the animal in a variety of poses. VERDICT Nice options for beginners, though lacking in some ways.

Gr 4-8 –These brain-straining puzzles and games will bombard kids with number fun. There’s a lot of brain-teasing bang for the buck in this well-produced series: more than 50 puzzles that sharpen numeracy concepts, pattern recognition, and observational skills. Slick, irreverent cartoon characters and settings liven up each page. Sharp printing and bright colors increase the shelf appeal of these books, while strong binding and high-quality paper mean they are built to last. The overwhelming majority of these puzzles involve number patterns, making the titles eventually feel a little like homework when read straight through. VERDICT A rich resource for classroom warm-ups, afterschool activities, or competitions.

Gr 4-9 –Even folders who are all thumbs will achieve surprisingly good results by following the meticulous instructions in this well-designed series. Nine traditional origami projects per book are mapped out using more steps than is usual for titles of this type—and with less of the extraneous design frippery that can make craft instructions hard to focus on. A handy “Terms and Techniques” section at the beginning of each volume lists each basic fold (valley, mountain, squash, reverse, etc.) with detailed photographic and text directions. This reference section establishes notation that makes the guidelines for each project easier to follow and allows readers to flip back and forth as necessary. A bright and pleasing color palette and adorably styled pictures of the finished products add to the appeal of this series. VERDICT Wonderful options for novice folders.

Gr 6-10 –Burgers, ribs, pizza, tacos: these are foods associated with football, for better or for worse. Dangle these recipes in front of young people, and watch them beat a path to the kitchen. And once they’ve dazzled family and friends with Sloppy Joe Nacho Bars, why not move on to salmon with couscous or scrambled egg muffins? This refreshingly nongendered cookbook series is packed with appealing food (approximately 20 dishes per volume, including desserts, drinks, and entrees) and only slightly silly football puns (variations on the recipe are labeled “Call an Audible”). Instructions are logical and reasonably easy to follow, though none of these recipes rely on razor-sharp precision in terms of cook times and measurements: a boon for less-experienced chefs. Large, appetizing photos of the finished foods take the place of process photographs, so these are for kids with basic kitchen skills or who will be working with a more knowledgeable cook. VERDICT Great choices.

Gr 4-9 –The recipes in these slender books prove that comfort food doesn’t have to be starchy, salty, or bland to satisfy. Each of the eight projects per volume include cleanly laid out lists of ingredients, tools, and instructions, plus a large photo of the finished product and key moments in the preparation process. Slow-cooked or make-ahead dishes fit around busy lives and hectic weekday evenings, while the use of unprocessed ingredients shows kids how easy it is to cook “from scratch.” An emphasis on cook times without mention of observational qualifiers is a sad omission. In general, however, these books provide an abundance of interesting recipes prepared using fresh ingredients and new techniques. VERDICT Solid additions to cooking collections.

Gr 5 Up –Middle school students can sometimes become abruptly self-conscious about making art. Projects that emphasize process over content, like the ones in this series, can hook kids into trying something new with little danger of producing a lame-looking result. Five or six projects per volume build skills and reinforce concepts such as color theory and shading while young artists experiment with printing techniques and unusual materials. Each book starts with an easy project and moves on to more ambitious art, like creating 3-D effects using tone. VERDICT Good inspiration for confident artists and the less artistically inclined.

You can’t review instructional writing without trying out the instructions to see if they work, and my willing crew of field testers were, as usual, frank in their assessments. “Why is this book called Logic Puzzles if it’s 80 percent number puzzles?” (Windmill’s Brain Games). “They should tell you how to make French Toast with regular bread, in case you don’t have French bread.” (Creative Education’s Cooking School). “Look at my bear! It looks like a bear! Usually when I do origami, I follow all the instructions and it just ends up looking like a crumpled-up piece of paper.” (Capstone’s Origami Paperpalooza). They also had success with the recipes in ABDO’s “Cool Home Cooking” and the art projects in Smart Apple Media’s “Art Doodles.” Best in this batch are Capstone’s “Football Cookbooks.” “My Sloppy Joes are better than Grandma’s!” marveled the kid cook. Just don’t tell Grandma.