Readers will be prancing for their art supplies.
A guided journey through eight Indian illustration styles via portrayals of deer.
With the help of eight Indian artists, graphic designer Parker concisely introduces art foundations throughout the book. Beginning in the flaps, the book leads readers through the conceptualization of an illustration from a photograph through realistic representation to a reimagination of the animal, all without losing the deer’s main features. The book’s large trim allows generous canvas space and encourages readers to depart from the simple yet effective instructions and experiment in the negative space. Art concepts are transmitted alongside facts about deer. For example, to show how “deer can run at speeds of up to 70 kilometers an hour” when escaping a predator, the illustrations portray deer in a style reminiscent of cave paintings, with outstretched legs rushing forward. The question “How has the artist shown us that these deer are running fast?” prompts readers to consider the direction of the lines, the deer’s heads, and the animals’ positions throughout the page as elements that contribute to the transmission of the idea of movement. Readers are also given the opportunity to increase their artistic talents. Exercises such as tracing outlines, coloring, and creating patterns build budding artists’ skills. As the book progresses, the instructions grow less constraining, encouraging the reader to “let [their] imagination loose.” Further information on the various artists and styles is presented on the back jacket flap.
Readers will be prancing for their art supplies. (Activity book. 4-9)Pub Date: May 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-81-934485-0-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Tara Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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