This coming school year one of our monthly poet focuses will be Ralph Waldo Emerson. This picture book illustrates his simple poem of gratitude for God's creation. The smudgy illustrations depict families and children hiking and camping in the woods.
-Borrowed from the library.
This story is delightful! The illustrations and words are well-crafted and beautiful.
A painter loves to paint chickens. No one, however, wants paintings of chickens. Since he needs to survive, he paints what the consumers want-people, poodles, and penguins. As he paints chickens in his free time, he dreams of having enough money to buy a farm and to raise actual chickens. Then a woman walks into his studio. . . .
The illustrations beckon the reader to linger. Around his desk and throughout his house, the painter has mini chickens and chicken-related decor. Also, on every text page is a illustrations of a specific chicken with its breed identified.
**Highly, highly recommend, especially for those who love chickens. (I would consider buying it, but it is $70 on Amazon!)
-Borrowed from the library.
M.C. Escher is another artist my eighth grade son will study this coming year
An art book that focuses on M.C. Escher's use of math to create his art. I loved how math and art are fused in this book.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Jamie has given up on life. After fighting in the war, he returns to the states to find his parents are deceased and contends with a wound that won't heal. He escapes the hospital and ventures out on his own, walking the roads in California. He passes a lovely cottage where an elderly man calls for help. Michael Worthington is the owner of the flower-filled property. As he tries to recover in the hospital, he asks Jamie to live there and care for his gardens and his apiary. Jamie forms friendships with a next door neighbor woman and a fiesty youngster who is Michael's partner, and also meets a mysterious woman on a stormy night. In the process, Jamie begins to heal physically and spiritually.
*Highly recommend for those who like a longer story written in the 1920s. I found the story a bit unrealistic at points, preachy, and old-fashion but still enjoyed it. Also, the word d**n was used a few times throughout the book but seeking God was also a component. I felt the two were incompatible.
Recommended for high school and older/warnings-one character has a baby out of wedlock, d**n a few times, **SPOILER ALERT-the fiesty youngster, Scout, does not reveal her gender until the end. She doesn't like being a girl so she tries to act and dress like a boy (an interesting aspect to include in the 1920s . . .I found it especially interesting because of our current situation with gender identity!)
-Borrowed inter-lib loan
I am preparing for my eighth grader's art class. Grandma Moses will be one of the artists we study. Below are a variety of biographies about her and one autobiography. I highly recommend all of the books. All of them are borrowed from the library.
1. Great Artists-Grandma Moses by Adam G. Klein (recommended 2nd grade and older picture book) -
The text is sparse but the illustrations generously fill the pages. Ms. Swiatkowska painted the illustrations in impressionistic style. Ms. Barbara succintly portrays Mary Cassatt's fiesty, independent personality which led to her success in an era not accepting of women painters.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
In Lancaster County, PA, in 1738, Benjamin West was born into a large Quaker family. A preacher predicted that he would do great things someday. His family watched for greatness. At age seven Benjamin was compelled to draw his baby nephew. Initially he hid the drawing, afraid that his family would think he had spent his time foolishly. Instead his family celebrated his talent and provided ways for him to develop it. In fact, Benjamin Wes is often called the father of American art.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
