Sandcastles: Great Projects: From Mermaids to Monuments

This is a wonderful book for all ages. It is packed with creative and inspirational artwork, useful tips, and great techniques for making the sandcastle of your dreams. I really like that the book is spiral bond and the pages are laminated. This makes it easy to take it to the beach with you, without destroying the book in the process. The book starts out describing various construction methods, some accompanied by small photos. Then there are instructions for using and caring for your building tools. Conveniently, there is also a recipe for making a permanent waterproof castle. I think this is worth the price of the book alone if you're interested in making everlasting sand art sculptures and it is also great for those who don't have access to a beach. Instructions for creating over 25 different sandcastles follow. These encompass a wide variety of animals, architecture and transportation vehicles. They vary in difficulty from an easier two-hour long grass hut to the magnificent and possibly all-day long project such as the medieval style castle with dragon show on the cover. Some of my favorite projects include a cornucopia, an Inca house and a rocket ship. Though a complete materials list and clear written instructions are included, in most cases there are no step-by-step building illustrations. However, almost all include a nice photo of the fished piece. At such a reasonable price, it makes a great inexpensive gift for any beach lover or older child.