Hemp Jewellery

Sadler, Judy Ann. Hemp Jewellery. Illus. June Bradford. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2005. [From the Kids Can Do It series].

After a brief introduction to the materials and core techniques, this basic and somewhat formulaic how-to book presents several individual projects that can be made using hemp twine and beads. Each project begins with a list of required materials and a photo of a kid modelling the finished project, and then provides step-by-step instructions. Each of the steps are numbered, the instructions are effective and succinct, and the ink-and-watercolour illustrations of each individual step make it easy to follow along. The text and visual components work well together in a functional sense – they allow the reader to learn the techniques and construct the featured projects – but there is little inspiration to be found in this book either in enthusiasm for the topic or in the visual appeal. The cover, with photos on a mauve and turquoise background decorated with geometric patterns, manages to look both overly juvenile and outdated (circa early 1990s?). And the subject matter itself seems dated as well - are kids still making hemp jewellery, or did this fad mostly die about ten years ago? If someone wants to make hemp necklaces or bracelets, this book is a useful and functional resource that will give them the basic information they need to get started. The book will do little, however, to introduce readers to a new subject or inspire them to learn a new skill.

* out of 4 (or ** being generous)

Looking at other reviews: Other people seemd to review this particular book much more positively than I did. I did notice, however, that many reviewers spent most of their space describing the book and very little actually evaluating it.

Carolyn Phelan (Booklist review via Amazon.com) and I agree about how easy the instructions are to follow, but we seem to have different ideas about what makes a book "attractive." (Although I do admit that my issues are mostly with the cover - the step-by-step illustrations are clear and attractive in the tradition of knot-tying instructional guides, which is an aesthetic I happen to enjoy). She also notes the lack of discussion about the social implications and views of the material itself, which I hadn't noticed.

Grace Sheppard's review in CM is positive for the most part, but ends on this intersting note: "Despite the possibility of macramé flashback for some readers, this book will be heavily used by crafters at school and public libraries." Who is she thinking will be having the macrame flashbacks? The elementary school kids? I think flashback is the operative word here, but for me this meant an trip back to early university days when hemp jewellery was all the rage in the twenty-something crowd at festivals and markets. I may be dangerously out of touch with the elementary crowd, but I really don't think this particular craft has the currency and appeal of, say, a how-to book about drawing manga.