Guitars

Gr 3-6–The latest installment in Lakin’s “Made by Hand” series goes behind the scenes to look at how a luthier (guitar maker) crafts acoustic and electric guitars. Historical background on the guitar’s origins and development, along with graphics detailing how a guitar works, complement the construction section and the background of the luthier. While the information is interesting and the graphics are somewhat compelling, there’s a disconnect between who the photos and activities are aimed at and the complexity of the narrative. The text suggests a middle or high school audience, but these readers likely will be turned off by the photos of younger children and the proposed activities. Maker spaces might find this volume useful or it might work as an adult-child read together. The cultural information in the added time lines is inconsistent and not supported by the text, which is focused on craft more than cultural impact.