A small, sturdy, shapely evocation of the artist's calling, prefaced by a quotation from Pisarro—"Only painting counts"—and featuring a white-bearded, straw-hatted Pissarro-like painter. "An artist is like God, but small," it begins. "He can't see out of God's creation,/ for it includes him./ With the seas divided,/ all the animals named,/ and the sun and moon and stars/ set in their tracks,/ an artist spends his life/ not only wondering, but wanting to work like God/ with what he can command: his paints." So: "He tries to copy God's creations." And on his easel we see a landscape. "He tries to shape beauty with his hand." A long-curving stroke of the brush. "He tries to make order out of nature." A geometric abstract. "He tries to paint the thoughts and feelings in his mind." Freeforms. Then, the reprise: "An artist is like God/ as God created him./ Small, strong, and with limited days,/ his gift of breath is spent/ over his paintbox./ Choosing and brushing his colors,/ he tries to make paint sing." In its entirety, this may indeed speak more volumes to adults than to children; but excepting only a few phrases near the end ("and with limited days, his gift of breath is spent"), the text is graphic, the imagery plain. And the illustrations—tiny, almost-childlike watercolors into which the palpable figure of the painter is set, a painter within paintings—have an immediate appeal and the resonance of some of Goffstein's best work. It's special, maybe, but it's not forced.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1980
ISBN: 0060220120
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1980
A festive invitation to creative liberation.
A pleasingly tactile exploration of the possibilities inherent in mistakes.
"A torn piece of paper... / is just the beginning!" Spills, folded paper, drips of paint, smudges and smears—they "all can make magic appear." An increasingly complex series of scenarios celebrates random accidents, encouraging artistic experimentation rather than discouragement. The folded-over paper can be a penguin's head; a torn piece of newsprint can turn into a smiling dog with a little application of paint; a hot-chocolate stain can become a bog for a frog. Thanks to a telescoping pop-up, a hole is filled with nearly limitless possibilities. The interactive elements work beautifully with the photo-collaged "mistakes," never overwhelming the intent with showiness. Saltzberg's trademark cartoon animals provide a sweetly childlike counterpoint to the artful scribbles and smears of gloppy paint.
A festive invitation to creative liberation. (Pop-up. 4-12)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7611-5728-1
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2010
A lovely encouragement to young writers to persist.
This follow-up to How To Read a Story (2005) shows a child going through the steps of creating a story, from choosing an idea through sharing with friends.
A young black child lies in a grassy field writing in a journal, working on “Step 1 / Search for an Idea— / a shiny one.” During a walk to the library, various ideas float in colorful thought bubbles, with exclamation points: “playing soccer! / dogs!” Inside the library, less-distinct ideas, expressed as shapes and pictures, with question marks, float about as the writer collects ideas to choose from. The young writer must then choose a setting, a main character, and a problem for that protagonist. Plotting, writing with detail, and revising are described in child-friendly terms and shown visually, in the form of lists and notes on faux pieces of paper. Finally, the writer sits in the same field, in a new season, sharing the story with friends. The illustrations feature the child’s writing and drawing as well as images of imagined events from the book in progress bursting off the page. The child’s main character is an adventurous mermaid who looks just like the child, complete with afro-puff pigtails, representing an affirming message about writing oneself into the world. The child’s family, depicted as black, moves in the background of the setting, which is also populated by a multiracial cast.
A lovely encouragement to young writers to persist. (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5666-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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