Hands Off: The Best of the World's Soccer Teams

The dextrous Mariotti can turn hands into almost anything. His Hanimals and last year's Hanimations showcased a great variety of wild animals and birds--all hands, gussied up with a lot of paint, a few toothpicks, string and some button eyes. Hands Off! is even more astounding: violating the cardinal rule of soccer, the human hand plays an entire game. The reader is shown the rows of fans (their faces are drawn in between sets of knuckles), the players (one or two are depicted on a brightly painted palm and four fingers), the referees. Hairy knuckles become knees, fingernails are faces or open mouths. Bold use of color gives this work a thumbs-up. All ages. (Oct.)