Many books have one story, one journey. For Book of Masks, however, not everything is as it seems. Though this is one book, there are five stories, five different journeys. Alex is a misunderstood kid, but so is Will, Brian, Hunter, and Danny. Each of them must find solutions to their issues and do so both through personal action and through the help of some mystical characters, including Father Christmas. With faith and magic, these kids will see beyond the darkness of their own pain and beyond their masks into the world around them. Whether you relate to the misunderstood, the misunderstanding, or the guiding friends of these stories; perhaps this book will help you to look beyond the masks. Not everything is black and white, good and evil. Sometimes there are shades of gray. Sometimes there is more than just a mask and more than just a story.

For at least 20,000 years, masking has been a mark of cultural evolution and an indication of magical-religious sophistication in society. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the mask as a powerful cultural phenomenon--a means by which human groupings attempted to communicate their dignity and sense of purpose, as well as establish a continuum between the natural and supernatural worlds. It addresses the distinctive environments within which masks flourished, and analyzes the mask as a manifestation of art, ethnology and anthropology.

Thirty disguises, all identified and ready to color, include a mask used by a performer in an ancient Roman tragedy, a Death Mask from Mexico, a Chinese Lion Mask for New Year's celebrations, a water spirit disguise from New Caledonia, as well as masks from Guatemala, India, Nigeria, Egypt, Peru, Borneo, and Burma (Myanmar).

Who's behind that mask? Readers will love creating and wearing masks made out of ordinary household items, such as felt, paper, cardboard, and Popsicle sticks. This book uses easy instructions and accessible text to teach readers how to make each mask, including a lion, rabbit, owl, and robot. Bright visuals showcase each step of the process to give readers a clear idea of their goals. The book begins with a list of materials to set artists up for success. This book is perfect for readers who like acting or playing dress up, or readers who just love making cool crafts out of everyday objects.

"John Emigh and Lesley K. Ferris explore the role of masks in theater, whose roots lie in ritual performance. Cara McCarty looks at the ways in which masks are featured in the medium of film as well. But these artistic examples are not the only masks found in industrial societies. McCarty also discusses the proliferation of masks for physical protection, in areas such as military combat, sports competitions, and space exploration."--BOOK JACKET.

Masks are found world-wide in connection with seasonal festivals, rites of passage, and curative ceremonies. They provide a means of investigating the paradoxical problems that appearances pose in the experience of transitional states. In this far-reaching work, A. David Napier studies mask iconography and the role played by masks in the realization of change. The masks of preclassical Greece¯in particular those of the Satyr and the Gorgon¯provide his starting point. A comparison of Greek to Eastern and especially Indian models follows, and the book concludes with an examination of the interpretation of Hindu ideas in Bali that demonstrates the importance of ambivalence in mask iconography.