Book excerpt: Turn sheets of paper into exciting 3D flowers, animals and accessories--no previous origami experience necessary! Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, is not just a great craft activity--it's an exciting way to expand your imagination. Children will have many hours of fun folding the easy origami projects in this book and learning about the surprising art of paper folding. This origami book for kids has been revised and reformatted; geared specifically to 8-12 year olds, it is an introduction to Japanese culture and crafts. With full-color photos, step-by-step instructions, and 8 sheets of downloadable origami paper, beginning folders can master the straightforward designs. The 19 origami projects include: Lotus Flower Japanese Fan Chopstick Wrapper Dollar-Bill Dragon Chinese Zodiac Traditional Crane Japanese Daruma Doll And many more… Learning how to fold two-dimensional paper squares into three-dimensional objects is not only fun, but helps develop hand-eye coordination and spatial skills by engaging a child's whole brain. Each paper model explores an important aspects of Asian culture--creating an appreciation and awareness of cultural differences in children.