I'm sharing three picture books this week connecting to art, two more directly than others.
Ivan, The Remarkable True Story of
the Shopping Mall Gorilla – written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated
by Gl. Brian Karas
Finally had the extreme pleasure of
reading this. After reading The One and Only Ivan, I thought the story was
told, but not exactly. Here it is really shared, the sad and happy times, and the
connections, to the children who grew up visiting him at the mall, to his
keeper at Zoo Atlanta, and to Katherine Applegate. One line touched me about
Ivan and his companion baby gorilla Burma, who died shortly after being
captured: they were ordered by the shopping mall owner, “like a couple of
pizzas, like a pair of shoes.” The illustrations are gentle depictions of
Ivan’s story. Ivan’s picture book continues his story, this time for younger
children to learn of all animals who are still being captured and misused
today.
Edward Hopper, Summer At The Seashore -Published in 2002 in the Adventures
in Art series-text written by Deborah Lyons
This offers some background and
information of Hopper’s youth, his upbringing by the Hudson River, and his life
in various seaside locations, including Cape Cod. It’s written in a textbook style, but
includes many pictures of Hopper’s work, and some explanation of the style for which he
is known. I love his work, so bought
this a long time ago just to learn more about Hopper.
Edward Hopper Paints His World – written by Robert Burleigh and
illustrated by Wendell Minor
Considering the two artists who
created this book, how can I have anything but love for it? A bit of a different story is told here from
the earlier one about Hopper. In that one, it shared that Hopper loved to sail,
even made his own boat as a teen and considered becoming a boat designer. In
this one, it emphasizes that he wrote on his pencil box at a very young age, Edward Hopper, would-be artist. The
story tells of the struggling artist who went to art school in NYC, then on to
Paris to study, then back to New York City. He worked for years trying to sell
his work, and finally became celebrated for his unique style and subject
matter. He said he painted what he saw, but also what happened in his
imagination. In the backmatter, Wendell Minor shares that he discovered that
there was no such diner in Hopper’s very famous “Nighthawks”. It became
apparent to many that while Hopper painted what he “saw’, at times what that
meant was what he “saw” in his imagination. Minor has included several of Hopper’s
works into Burleigh’s story, using his own techniques—more clear and crisp—but
one does recognize them. It’s a lovely book for young artists to read, enjoy,
and be inspired by.
Linda - that line about "a couple of pizzas" stuck out for me in the Ivan title too - what a book I really need to find this book about Edward Hopper - I keep reading wonderful things.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I was just commenting on your post! Yes, the Hopper book is good, & I imagine using it for art project, finding one's own interest just as he did. Thanks, Carrie!
DeleteI haven't seen the latest Edward Hopper book around but I definitely want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it, Earl. Hope you can find it!
DeleteThanks for telling us about both Edward Hopper books. Sounds like there are lots of opportunities for students to compare and contrast.
ReplyDeleteYes, a comparison will work, especially within the story told, or even not told from each. Thanks!
DeleteOh I just love those Edward Hopper books... such light he painted, just gorgeous! Ivan's story is great too--though I think many of my high schoolers missed it.
ReplyDelete