I love writing picture books. They are the perfect blend of words and art. Long ago, my sister and I would sit at the kitchen table and draw. Since she was nearly three years older than me, her drawings always seemed better than mine. That memory turned into my picture book, Arlo Draws an Octopus, about a boy who struggled to draw an octopus. Years later, it was great fun to write a story that turned a “disaster-piece” into a triumph. While I didn't become an artist, I love to read about artists, their unique view of the world, and their art. These picture books are some of the best.
It not only shares fascinating details about pop artist Andy Warhol’s life and artistic journey, but it also gets readers talking about what makes art, art.
Is it liking things? Is it about painting pretty things? Is it about seeing things in a new way? Who decides what art is, anyway?
This is the story of Andy Warhol-and how his pop art took the world by storm. From drawing shoes for a shoe company to his Campbell's Soup cans and Marilyn Monroe prints, Andy made art out of the everyday. People claimed Andy's art wasn't real art, but that didn't stop him from making it, plus movies, a magazine, a TV show, and more!
With Art Is Everywhere, Jeff Mack explores Warhol's fascination (and our own) with celebrity and fame, and opens readers' minds to the possibilities for art in the world around us.
I love picture books about artists, and Yayoi Kusama is a fascinating contemporary artist that young readers would love to learn more about.
I mean, who covers paintings, dresses, tables, walls, and more—with dots? Readers will enjoy learning more about this clever, quirky artist from Japan and why she does what she does.
A clever, quirky book about one of the world's most beloved contemporary artists - aimed at young readers and written from Kusama's point of view!
Yayoi Kusama covers her paintings in hundreds and hundreds of dots. Her dots come off her canvases to cover dresses, tables, walls, and more!
She creates mirrored rooms and fills them with glittering balls and lights, until there is an infinity of dots - just like in her paintings. Fausto Gilberti brings movement, life, and whimsy to the true life story of one of the most important contemporary Japanese artists of our time…
An engaging picture book for children that celebrates what it means to be American!
What does it mean to be American? Does it mean you like apple pie or fireworks? Not exactly. This patriotic picture book is perfect for Memorial Day, Independence Day, Election Day, or any day you want…
Is it possible to love too many books about artists and their art? I don’t think so.
This is one of my all-time favorite books about “one of the most famous American artists you’ve never heard of.” This picture book explores the world of Walter Anderson, who lived along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and spent his time sailing to an uninhabited island for weeks at a time and painting what he saw—rats, raccoons, rabbits, wild hogs, life, and death.
The language of the book is just as beautiful and evocative as the illustrations.
Enter the fascinating world of reclusive nature-lover Walter Anderson -- perhaps the most famous American artist you've never heard of.
Residents along the Mississippi Gulf Coast thought Walter Anderson was odd, rowing across twelve miles of open water in a leaky skiff to reach Horn, an uninhabited island without running water or electricity. But this solitary artist didn't much care what they thought as he spent weeks at a time on his personal paradise, sleeping under his boat, sometimes eating whatever washed ashore, sketching and painting the natural surroundings and the animals that became his friends. Here Walter created some…
I love this picture book because the narrator can only draw worms.
That sounds like just the thing a child might say, and when they open this book, they’re immediately going to relate to this narrator and enjoy this incredible journey with plenty of art, counting, humor—and worms! What could be better than that?
Kudos to Mabbitt for coming up with this original, artsy, wormful tale.
A hilarious picture book in bright, neon colors that is perfect for fans of The Book With No Pictures and The Day the Crayons Quit.
This is part counting book, part introduction to worms, but all superbly silly. The fact that the author/illustrator can only draw worms will not take anything away from the laugh-out-loud adventure readers will have as they turn the pages of this slightly subversive picture book.
When a girl in India discovers a Stone slab on a weedy patch of land she calls to her friends, "Look! Look!" The children clear away the weeds and garbage and find more stones. They called their families to come and see. Word travels to villages nearby and more and…
I love this book because it tells children that all of those little things that may discourage a budding artist can be turned into something beautiful.
A torn page can become an alligator’s mouth. A folded corner can become a penguin’s head, and a spill can become all sorts of wonderful things. A terrific message for someone of any age who wants to explore and create.
We all make mistakes - grown-ups and children alike. But little kids sometimes have trouble dealing with their mistakes, whether it's a piece of artwork they've torn by accident, or juice they've spilled on their favorite drawing. In this book, every page begins with a 'mistake' that ultimately unravels, lifts out, or pulls up to become a surprising work of beauty. Kids see firsthand as they go through the book that any smudge, smear or stain can lead to something absolutely marvelous - with a little imagination. Inspiring and inventive, this interactive board book teaches a valuable lesson: 'When you…
When Arlo decides to draw an octopus, he can’t help but think that maybe he’s just not an octopus drawer. His drawing has a head that looks more like a hill, and eight squiggly arms that look more like roads that go everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. It’s an octopus “disaster-piece!” But just as Arlo vows to never draw an octopus again, he makes a discovery that changes his perspective about his drawing...and much more!
This endearing and relatable story gives readers of all ages a gentle reminder that we’re better than we may think. Sometimes all it takes is a second look.
In a time of alternative facts and the loss of a shared sense of reality, A Foot is Not a Fish playfully illustrates the difference between what is true and what is not through absurd fun comparisons that every child—and parent—will instantly understand.
Real Princesses Change the World
by
Carrie A. Pearson,
Real Princesses Change the World is an inspirational and diverse picture book that highlights 11 contemporary real-life princesses and four heirs apparent from around the world.
Have you heard of a STEM-aligned real-life princess who is an engineer and product developer? Or a princess who is a computer expert? An…
