Crafty Chloe by KellyDiPucchio and illustrated by Heather Ross (Atheneum, 2012) is a sparkly book for the creative child, and yet my not-crafty five-year-old son enjoyed it too. Chloe is not good at sports or dancing or video games like some of her friends, but she is good at making things. When her friend has a birthday party and Chloe cannot find the perfect gift at the store (because another friend is already getting it!) Chloe must figure out the perfect thing to make for her friend.
I loved the emphasis on child creativity. This wasn’t a project of Chloe’s mom telling her what to do. Chloe was the one in charge of the project, and the ultimate result was perfect. Although my son is not a doll-loving crafty girl as was Chloe and her friends in this book, he still really loved Chloe’s creativity in finding a solution to the question all kids have: what to take to a friend’s birthday party.
