The Great Kite Book

Fill the sky with animals when you build these 19 brightly colored kites. These beauties include a blue, red, and purple butterfly, an iridescent dragonfly, a richly hued barn swallow, and 16 more, all pictured here in full color. Each design has its own flying pattern--some soar above the clouds; others zoom low to the ground--and you get all the aerodynamic background to understand why! Above all, you'll experience the pleasure of seeing a kite you construct emerge and fly in all its glory. And if you want to go on to design your own, the general instructions on building kites will help you even after you've finished these. So now when someone tells you to go fly a kite, you'll ask, "Which one?" Schmidt...has expanded his horizons into the realm of monster, bumblebee, bird, and butterfly kites. [The] chapter on wind dynamics and kite stability is necessary reading for anyone willing to trust his or her masterpiece to the mercies of the wind. These kites are truly works of art and would make fantastic mobiles when not flying aloft."--Booklist. Sterling/Tamos 96 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 10.