56. What Do You See? A Conversation in Pictures

What Do You See? A Conversation in Pictures. Barney Saltzberg. Photographs by Jamie Lee Curtis. 2022. [March] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: She took photographs of things she loved and sent them to him. He drew pictures on her photographs of things he saw and sent them back. 

What Do You See is a collection of photographs AND art. Simple text introduces each spread. The idea being that the book celebrates the artistic friendship of these two. Jamie Lee Curtis would send photographs to Barney Saltzberg. Barney would add illustrations, etc., and send the photographs back.

The narrative is not so much a traditional story as it is a book celebrating creativity, imagination, friendship, and collaboration. There are many ways of "seeing" the world around us.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

152. Monet's Cat

Monet's Cat. Lily Murray. Illustrated by Becky Cameron. 2020. [May] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Monet was a famous painter with a magic cat. Her name was Chika. She was made of delicate pottery, and lay on a cushion, cool and still, until...Monet tapped her three times with his paintbrush. Then Chika came alive!

Premise/plot: Chika and Monet have lovely adventures together by visiting the paintings in the museum--literally. The two can hop in and out of the artwork! Of course, Chika may be having a bit more fun than Monet--who is chasing her! How much trouble can one cat be?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I liked it. I do like French impressionists. It's playful and art appreciation all at the same time.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Louise Loves Bake Sales

Louise Loves Bake Sales (Louise Readers #1) Laura Driscoll. Illustrated by Kelly Light. 2018. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I love art! I love this kind of art. I love that kind of art. I see art in everything!

Premise/plot: Louise and Art are back in an early reader series. These two were first introduced in Kelly Light's Louise Loves Art. In this first book in the series, Louise is super excited to participate in a first grade bake sale. But when her cupcakes don't go as planned--when they are not as artistic as she'd envisioned--will she find a way to make it work?

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. Yes, it's super-simple. It's a level one beginner reader with the I Can Read! brand. This means "simple sentences for eager new readers." But there's joy packed into these sentences. The story is joyful. Louise's problem-to-solve comes from mixing frosting colors. So in part this one could be said to be "teaching" a concept.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Bonjour, Mr. Satie

Bonjour, Mr. Satie. Tomie dePaola. 1991. 32 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Ever since the postcard arrived from Paris, Rosalie and Conrad had been waiting for the arrival of their uncle--Mr. Satie, world traveler--and his companion, Ffortusque Ffollet, Esq. Every day they asked Mama and Papa when they would arrive.

Premise/plot: Rosalie and Conrad are happy to welcome Mr. Satie--and guest--into their home. Mr. Satie arrives and has a wonderful story to tell about recent goings-on in Paris. Mr. Satie was at a gathering of friends--of artists--and he was able to help make peace between two factions. One group LOVED Henri's new style of painting and thought it was the BEST. The other group loved Pablo's new style of painting and thought it was the BEST. It wasn't only that one "needed" to be better than the other. No, each group HATED the other style and thought it the WORST--that it wasn't even worthy of being called art. Can Mr. Satie help maintain the peace--not just for one night--but for good?!

My thoughts: I found the book to be odd. Not necessarily odd in a bad way. Mr. Satie and his family are cats. His friend, his guest, is a mouse. That's not the weird part. I almost expected the whole cast of the picture book to be one or the other or even both. Animals in place of people. But, no, Pablo, Henri, and all the artistic crowds in Paris are people. So it isn't strictly animal fantasy OR historical/realistic. The story itself was okay. I found it interesting. If you're looking for an 'art-appreciation' book to share with little ones, this one is worth considering.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Press Here

Press Here. Herve Tullet. 2011. Chronicle. 56 pages.

Ready?
PRESS HERE and turn the page.
Great! Now press the yellow dot again.
Perfect. Rub the dot on the left...
Gently.
Well done! And now the one on the right...
Gently.

Press Here is creative and unique. How many interactive books depend on a child's imagination? In this "interactive" picture book, readers are invited to play with a yellow dot. To watch the dot do some amazing things. Each page turn reveals something special that the child has 'helped' to bring about. (Rubbing the dot on the left turns it blue; rubbing the dot on the right turns it red. Tapping the dots five times multiplies the dots. Etc.)

Press Here is different, perhaps. There aren't all that many picture books out there like it. And it's definitely not your traditional picture story book. But I think there are readers out there who can appreciate this one.

Originally published in France.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Art & Max

Art & Max. David Wiesner. 2010. October 2010. Clarion (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). 40 pages.

Careful, Max!
Hey, Art, that's great!
The name is Arthur.
I can paint too, Arthur!
You, Max? Don't be ridiculous.
Oh, all right. Just don't get in the way.

Art and Max are friends. Arthur is a great artist. Max, well, not so much. He's new at it. He's got much to learn. Can a painting lesson turn into a great adventure? You might just be surprised!

I really liked this one. I liked both Max and Arthur. (I especially liked Max's enthusiasm.) I liked Wiesner's storytelling too. It's a funny story. The illustrations tell much of it.

I really enjoyed the Library of Congress Cataloging one-sentence summary:

Max wants to be an artist like his friend Arthur, but his first attempt at using a paintbrush sends them on a whirlwind trip through various media, with unexpected consequences.

It does such a great job!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Lily Brown's Paintings

Lily Brown's Paintings. By Angela Johnson. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. 2007. Scholastic. 32 pages.

Lily Brown loves her mama, daddy, and baby brother and the world they live in.
Sometimes she spins around her room thinking about their world. And it's wondrous.
But when Lily Brown paints, her world starts to change.

The sunlight turns to stars,
and Lily begins flying
around them. All the universe
is one big colorful splash.

The stars circle the planets
in Lily Brown's paintings...

Lily Brown's Paintings is a book about wonder and joy. A celebration of life and art. Of beauty and imagination. I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was beautifully written. And I thought the illustrations by Lewis complemented the text well.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Zoo I Drew

Doodler (Goldman), Todd H. 2009. The Zoo I Drew. Random House. (July 28(ish) publication)

This one's a keeper. And not just for zoo keepers either. Though this one boasts that it is "zoo-keeper approved." (And who am I to doubt Todd H. Doodler?!) I loved this one. Loved it. It had me at hello. Its bright red cover is fluted; I loved feeling all the ridges--made it so much more appealing. The art is fun and playful. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. The Zoo I Drew is an animal (well zooish) alphabet book for youngsters. Each letter has an animal and a rhyme to go along with it.

A is for Alligator...
With a mouth full of teeth
and a body that's covered in scales.
The alligator likes to bask in the sun
and swim with it's powerful tail.

M is for Monkey
Hanging from its tail,
The monkey likes to play around.
It swings from tree to tree
And seldom touches the ground.

As I said, I loved this one. So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that I'm highly recommending it to you. It's to be released in late July.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Imaginary Garden

Larsen, Andrew. 2009. The Imaginary Garden. Illustrations by Irene Luxbacher. Kids Can Press.

The Imaginary Garden is charming and lovely and endearing. But not in a sickeningly sweet and syrupy way. I'm not saying that. I'm saying it in the feels-so-good-and-right-and-true way. Here's how it starts off: "Theo loved Poppa's old house. She loved Poppa's old garden. Poppa used to tell Theo all about the different flowers while they sat together under the maple tree." But Poppa isn't living in his old house. And his new apartment doesn't have a garden. But it does have a balcony. Can this grandfather-granddaughter team create a garden for the balcony? They just might if it's an "imaginary" one.

See this imaginary garden take shape as these two paint their way through spring and summer. As these two continue to spend time together, more than imaginary flowers will blossom.

This book is satisfying. It just feels good to read it. To witness such lovable characters come to life. The art by Irene Luxbacher is practically perfect. It adds just the right touch to this tale of love and hope and new life.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

1, 2, 3 I can collage!

Luxbacher, Irene. 2009. 1 2 3 I Can Collage! (Starting Art series). Kids Can Press.

This book is part of a series, the Starting Art series. Earlier titles include 1 2 3 I Can Draw, 1 2 3 I Can Paint, 1 2 3 I Can Sculpt. Granted I've only read this title--1 2 3 I Can Collage--but if the other titles are anything like this one, I must say that they'd all be must-haves for the classroom, the library, and the home.

(I think they'd be great to have if you homeschool your children. They might make you feel more comfortable, more confident, in introducing art to your children's day without feeling overwhelmed because you yourself are not an expert.)

We have within the book step-by-step projects. Everything sounds so simple, so straightforward, so direct...and so fun.

I love the note she includes for parents and teachers:

3 Tips to ensure a good collage experience every time

1. Use inexpensive materials and make sure your young artist's clothes and the work area are protected from spills. This way it's all about the fun, not the waste and the mess.
2. Focus on the process rather than the end product. Make sure your young artist is relaxed and having fun with the information instead of expecting perfection every time.
3. Remind your young artist that mistakes are an artist's best friend. The most interesting collage ideas and paper combinations are often discovered by mistake.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Pencil

Ahlberg, Allan. 2008. The Pencil. Bruce Ingman.

Banjo is back. If you haven't read The Runaway Dinner, then you've never met Banjo. (And it's certainly not *essential* that you're familiar with the characters of The Runaway Dinner, but if you are, then some of the characters are back for another adventure.) Allan Ahlberg does weird. And The Pencil is really no different. Here is how it begins,

"Once there was a pencil, a lonely little pencil, and nothing else. It lay there, which was nowhere in particular, for a long, long time. Then one day that little pencil made a move, shivered slightly, quivered somewhat...and began to draw."

Already, I have begun to enjoy this one more that I did The Runaway Dinner. I like the premise at least. It has a Harold and the Purple Crayon vibe going on which I like.

It continues,

"The pencil drew a boy. "What's my name?" Said the boy. "Er....Banjo," said the pencil. "Good," said Banjo. "Draw me a dog."

Soon the pencil draws Bruce (the neighbor dog) and Mildred (the cat), and the drawing continues...a house, a yard, a neighborhood, a park, etc. But soon the characters aren't happy with they're black-and-white life, so the pencil has to think of a solution to add some color to their lives...

Can you come up with a solution? Did you think the pencil should draw a paintbrush? Well, he does. And that's just the beginning.

This is a slightly warped but ever-creative picture book about the drawing, creating, envisioning process.

Overall, I enjoyed this one much much more than the Runaway Dinner. Did I love it? I'm not sure I'd go that far. But I liked it. I still think it takes a special reader to fully appreciate Ahlberg, but this one should definitely be given a chance.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers