Altered books--or a positive thing to do with Discarded Books!

Would you like to have teachers begging you for discarded books? If so, talk them in to doing a project with discarded library books as a culminating activity for a unit on a novel, or anything else that requires a creative approach! Our English 10 teacher had students make an Altered Book using as a culminating activity for their class. In the past, the book may have focused on a book they studied during the year that they liked, but the two pictured were made as a way to review the highlights from all their work in English 10 (World Lit for us). One of the books also contains poems and creative writing from the class as well. This activity greatly appeals to students who enjoy scrapbooking, or working with their hands to create. Think of students who need that creative expression.

Here are some websites and books to guide you:

Incredible Art Department Altered Book Lesson

TeacherTube videos on Altered Books (pull the page down--there are 3 from a teacher High School Teacher)

Lesson on Altered Books at Young Poets

What are Altered Books at Michael's Arts and Crafts

Altered Books on Squidoo

We bought these books for our collection for the students to use as examples:

702 ARE
Arendt, Madeline. Altered art for the first time. New York :
Sterling Pub., c2005.
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-first-time-First-Time/dp/1402716559/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201364783&sr=1-1

702 BRA
Brazelton, Bev, 1946-. Altered books workshop : 18 creative
techniques for self-expression. Cincinnati, Ohio : North
Light Books, c2004.
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Books-Workshop-Techniques-Self-Expression/dp/B000X1N3PU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201365061&sr=1-1

702 HAR
Harrison, Holly. Altered books, collaborative journals, and
other adventures in bookmaking. Gloucester, Mass. :
Rockport, c2003. http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Collaborative-Journals-Adventures-Bookmaking/dp/1564969959/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201365154&sr=1-1


702 MAT
Matthiessen, Barbara. Altered book collage. New York :
Sterling, c2005.
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Collaborative-Journals-Adventures-Bookmaking/dp/1564969959/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201365154&sr=1-1

702 mic
Michel, Karen. The complete guide to altered imagery : for
collage, altered books, artists journals, and more.
Gloucester, Mass. : Quarry Books, 2005.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Altered-Imagery-Mixed-Media/dp/1592531776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201365406&sr=1-1

745.593 URE
Ure, Susan. The altered book scrapbook. Ogden, UT : Chappelle,
c2006.
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Book-Scrapbook-Susan-Ure/dp/1402752024/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201365258&sr=1-1

Geez, now that I am looking at this list from my Bookbag on OPAC, I am wondering why they aren't cataloged together. Lucy and Ethel will have to work on that in our spare time!