Candy Construction: Edible Crafts, by Sharon Bowers, Storey Publishing, $14.95, all ages, 144 pages. One peek inside this book and your kiddos will be chanting: "Give us candy and we will build." In this splendid ode to all things sugary, Bowers gives adults and kids step-by-step directions for turning leftover candy, and store-bought cookies and cakes into Willie Wonka-like wonders, ranging from a choo-choo train with a Swiss Roll cab and peppermint wheels to a bi-plane with wafer cookie wings and a body cut from a Charleston Chew. But before you dump out Halloween leftovers onto the table and cut open bags of gummy this or rock-hard that, consider adopting three ground rules that Bowers uses on her own pint-size construction workers. 1) No eating on the job 2) Pick one candy or construction to set aside and gobble up after cleanup and 3) Always brush teeth after excavating delights. Bowers, a producer for the Food Network's website, covers all facets of construction, from gathering candy (her top tip: shop at the dollar store) to preparing the mortar (icing) and building blocks (from Rice Krispies treats or edible play dough). Then, to our little workers' delight, she launches without further a-do into how-tos for making almost every concoction a child could want, from vehicles to aliens to princess castles and board games, all entirely out of sweets. Probably the best reward: kids see what is possible then can't wait to invent a candy creation for themselves.
