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INKBLOT

Name: INKBLOT
Author: Margaret Peot
ISBN: 978-1-59078-720-5

DRIP, SPLAT, AND SQUISH YOUR WAY TO CREATIVITY

by Margaret Peot & illustrated by Margaret Peot ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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This exciting road map through an underappreciated art form shows that “[a]nything is possible with inkblots.” Choose supplies, carefully fold your paper and you’re off: “Dab ink. Drop ink. Splat ink. Make puddles and lines and swirls and crisscrosses”; “tip it in different directions as if you were a waiter bobbling and balancing a tray.” Pressure techniques offer seven ways to gently manipulate wet ink inside folded paper. Then unfold—and behold! Expansive suggestions propose wide-ranging possibilities for what an inkblot can resemble, from “the most remarkable tendrils, winter branches, spiky hair, strange grasses, [and] elongated mushrooms” to “kissing fish, sailing ships, faces, flowers, planets, or monsters…. [or] a tornado, a volcano, or a maelstrom.” For hesitant artists, the text provides creative prompts—if your inkblot were a circus act or a culinary dish, what would it be?—and atmospheric questions—is your inkblot fast and splashy or slow and trickly? A secret or a billboard? “Drawing into” the inkblot means adding lines, textures and colors with other media on top of the dry ink. Peot’s own entrancing inkblots (spaceships, landscapes, comics), plus a few guest-blots, illustrate every step, showing how the pure blot becomes the final artwork. Inkblot Heroes (Victor Hugo, Hermann Rorschach) get accolades; readers get clear directions and lively encouragement. Equally cool for kids and parents, art classes or casual groups. (Nonfiction. 10 & up)

Pub Date: March 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-59078-720-5

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Boyds Mills

Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT
by Margaret Peot ; illustrated by Margaret Peot

- BOOK REVIEW
CROW MADE A FRIEND
by Margaret Peot ; illustrated by Margaret Peot

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ASK ELIZABETH

by Elizabeth Berkley ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 23, 2011

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Actress Berkley (Saved by the Bell) tries her hand at advice for young women in a question-and-answer format. Culling from workshops of the same title that she has conducted for the past four years, discussion is centered around a grouping of topics: self-image, romantic relationships, friends and bullies, family issues and, finally, a section on mental health and defining self. Mimicking the look of a scrapbook, chapters include suggestions from the author and feature scraps of paper with handwritten inquiries from girls who attended the workshops. Also on offer are honest and thoughtful testimonials written by teens themselves about the various subjects and the occasional blurb from a professional. Collages of images and hand-drawn designs decorate the pages and add to the informal, confessional tone. Berkley maintains a chatty, direct voice throughout that contributes to the accessibility of the work but may turn some readers off. Often urging readers to think of her almost as if they know her by using phrases such as, “Please know that I fully honor, accept and love every single one of you,” or exhorting girls to be themselves because, “Trust me, [the real you]’s pretty amazing!” may leave the more skeptical feeling that the familiarity established in the workshops doesn’t translate authentically to the page. References to the author’s website are included. (Self-help. 12-18)

Pub Date: March 23, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-399-25448-2

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: April 6, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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CLOSE-UP ON WAR

THE STORY OF PIONEERING PHOTOJOURNALIST CATHERINE LEROY IN VIETNAM

by Mary Cronk Farrell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2022

A riveting biography that puts an overlooked, award-winning female photojournalist into historical context.

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The story of a young Parisian woman who overcame gender barriers to take groundbreaking battlefront photographs during the Vietnam War.

Following the advice of famous combat photographer Robert Capa, Catherine Leroy was determined to get close to the action in Vietnam after being inspired by photos in French newspapers. In February 1966, at the age of 21, she arrived in Saigon as a freelancer, forging ahead despite her lack of experience. As she proved herself, Leroy was able to travel with and document troops as they moved through the harsh jungle conditions, staying alert for mines and booby traps. She received exclusive access to the first paratroop mission in Vietnam, parachuting with the troops and taking pictures all the way down. Her intimate photographs resonated around the world as they showed the vulnerability and sacrifice of young soldiers as well as the suffering of Vietnamese civilians. Farrell offers an insightful, well-researched, and detailed account of Leroy’s achievements as well as an overview of the history of Vietnam, the impact of the military conflict on Vietnamese people, and Americans’ changing perceptions of the war. Leroy’s letters and vivid examples of her photography enrich the work. This excellently written account will leave readers marveling at Leroy’s determination, bravery, and disregard for her own safety as she documented what was happening in Vietnam.

A riveting biography that puts an overlooked, award-winning female photojournalist into historical context. (map, epilogue, author’s note, camera information, glossary, timeline, endnotes, bibliography, image credits, index) (Biography. 12-18)