If you are just starting out and the idea of using foam to create a puppet is new to you, then you need The Foam Book by Drew Allison and Donald Devet. The book is a great way for beginner builders to get used to working with foam and to get familiar with a few foam puppet construction techniques. The Foam Book is definitely a book to get your creative juices flowing.

The only potential drawback we found with The Foam Book is the lack of a tangible pattern. The two techniques discussed in the book are more free-form in style. This can have its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that many times when building a free-style puppet, you’ll discover methods or characters that you would have never known were there. The character is created mainly through the process of building. The disadvantage is if you have an existing sketch of a character or if you would like to reproduce your characters. The free-form style does not make it easy to “capture” the pattern. Thus it would be hard to replicate your characters and have them closely resemble the original.

That having been said, we feel The Foam Book is a great addition to a beginner puppet builder’s library. Check out more information and other’s reviews of The Foam Book.