“The Cute Book” by Aranzi Aronzo
Hardcover = $12.95 ISBN=9781932234688

Supplies Needed: Photo-copied patterns from “The Cute Book”, various colors of felt, embroidery thread, needles, Tacky glue, a couple of spools of thread, scissors, cotton stuffing

The steps in this craft program may appear easy, but I’ll caution that you’ll need a group of teens who are determined and patient to see this project through to its completion. The animal forms are very small (approx 3″) and those who aren’t easily discouraged will find this activity rewarding. I would suggest making an animal before your program, so that you’ll have an idea of the areas in which teens may need help. In many cases, teens will find their own solutions to sewing situations and will not require assistance. However, there are teens who have never touched a needle in their life and may need guidance. For beginners, I suggest using the simpler patterns of the panda, bear, rabbit, and kitty. The teens who came to this program were very crafty and ranged between ages 12-18. They also enjoyed the idea that during their next creations they might alter their patterns to resemble anime characters, such as Kuro Neko from the series Trigun or Yuki and Kyo from the series Fruits Basket. Don’t worry; if you get a couple of teens who aren’t down with cute, there are patterns to construct a bad guy, kidnapper, and liar.

Simple Steps
One: Make supplies available and briefly explain the construction process. Two: Teens cut out patterns and animal pieces. Three: Teens sew on faces and other body parts and stuff bodies. TADA! All Done.

Other titles to consider having available for checkout:

Speaking of things cute and cats, here’s a random idea for leaving ‘MySpace Comments’:
A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me these links in an email: ICanHasCheezburger and Cute Overload!;) Since then, I’ve been randomly inserting cat pics onto my teen patron’s MySpace comments. This way of communicating usually goes well with teens who already have animal pictures on their MySpace page. Not only do they find the pics funny but many will find humor in the slang accompanying the pics (ex. bird flavr watr hitz da spot).