Matisse's Garden


Samantha Friedman - 2014
    It looked lonely all by itself, so he cut out more shapes to join it. Before he knew it, Matisse had transformed his walls into larger-than-life gardens, filled with brightly colored plants, animals, and shapes of all sizes! Featuring cut-paper illustrations and interactive foldout pages, Matisse’s Garden is the inspiring story of how the artist’s never-ending curiosity helped turn a small experiment into a radical new form of art.

Katie's Sunday Afternoon


James Mayhew - 2005
    Children will come away with a deeper appreciation for fine art, as they join in Katie's museum romp.It's a Sunday afternoon, and Katie is bored. But Grandma knows just what will cheer her up -- a visit to the art museum. There, Katie once again finds herself on an unbelievable adventure through the paintings of renowned post-impressionist painters Georges-Pierre Seurat, Camille Pissarro, and Paul Signac. Children will enjoy learning about art, as they join in on Katie's exciting journey.

Fold Me a Poem


Kristine O'Connell George - 2005
    From roosters waking up and buffalo pawing the tablecloth to cheetahs racing lions and moths that yearn for butterfly colors, here is a glimpse into the vibrant imagination of a child.Award-winning author Kristine O'Connell George's thirty-two spirited poems combine seamlessly with celebrated artist Lauren Stringer's luminous illustrations to create a poetry collection that is truly like no other.Features an illustrator's note and an extensive listing of origami-related books and websites.

Monument Maker: Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial


Linda Booth Sweeney - 2019
    After failing at academics, Dan was working the family farm when he idly carved a turnip into a frog and discovered what he was meant to do. Sweeney’s swift prose and Fields’s evocative illustrations capture the single-minded determination with which Dan taught himself to sculpt and launched his career with the famous Minuteman Statue in his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts.  This is also the story of the Lincoln Memorial, French’s culminating masterpiece. Thanks to this lovingly created tribute to the towering leader of Dan’s youth, Abraham Lincoln lives on as the man of marble, his craggy face and careworn gaze reminding millions of seekers what America can be. Dan’s statue is no lifeless figure, but a powerful, vital touchstone of a nation’s ideals. Now Dan French has his tribute too, in this exquisite biography that brings history to life for young readers.

The Ugly Doodles


Valeria Wicker - 2020
    But the only thing she can seem to draw are ugly doodles -- and they won't go away, no matter how hard she tries to discard them! After a few increasingly inventive attempts to get rid of them, Raven realizes that the only way to learn to love her art is to just create.Valeria Wicker's endearing and quirky art style adds humor to her sweet and whimsical story about overcoming a fear of imperfection and failure.

Vincent Paints His House


Tedd Arnold - 2015
    The only problem is choosing the color. He thinks white would be nice . . . until the spider convinces him that red is better. Red looks great, but the bird thinks blue would be best. Vincent likes blue too. "Stop!" says the mouse, because the mouse prefers green. Before long, Vincent has a list of requests: the termite wants orange, the caterpillar loves yellow and the ladybug insists on purple. With a little creativity—and a lot of color—Vincent does a brilliant job!

Awkward Moments (Not Found in Your Average) Children's Bible - Vol. 2


Horus Gilgamesh - 2014
    awkward! There are verses we'd like to forget or that have been changed throughout the centuries. There are many verses you've never heard before in church, let alone seen in your average children's Bible! Not to mention the verses that have been added over the centuries!Most people were raised in the faith chosen by their family. Young children learn a few Bible stories taken out of context and accept them without question. (On what basis could they possibly question their parents or church leaders?) After decades of repetition and tradition, it's understandable that we might put our beliefs on auto-pilot and just nod as a pastor repeats the verses and ideas that are already familiar and comfortable to us. It's no wonder that recent studies show an incredible lack of Biblical knowledge among Christians - 55% unable to even name the four Gospels of the New Testament - the very foundation of Christianity!The Goal? Awkward Moments encourages readers to really understand what is in their Bibles and think for themselves about the context of Biblical teaching. The 32 color illustrations and included commentaries will likely challenge some readers to reflect on how religion continues to shape the lives and culture of future generations. If readers happen to laugh out loud in the mean time - it's just an added bonus!Skeptical about a verse? Crack open your favorite Bible and read along to share the Good News with friends!REMEMBER: Don't blame us, it's in the Bible!

Make Meatballs Sing: The Life and Art of Sister Corita Kent


Matthew Burgess - 2021
    Unapologetically holding true to herself and her beliefs, Corita spread a powerful message of love, hope, and justice with her work, as it evolved from figurative and religious art, to serigraphs incorporating the sacred and the ordinary, to a sparser, more introspective style. This timely story will draw readers into the life of a singular woman whose work and commitment invite us all to seek joy in the everyday, to observe the world with open eyes, and to question and see beyond the existing frameworks of society. Thoughtfully written by Matthew Burgess and vibrantly illustrated by Kara Kramer, this beautiful biography, made in close collaboration with the Corita Art Center, includes reproductions of Corita's works, a chronology, and author and illustrator notes.

The Story of Buildings: From the Pyramids to the Sydney Opera House and Beyond


Patrick Dillon - 2014
    We make our homes in them. We go to school in them. We work in them. But why and how did people start making buildings? How did they learn to make them stronger, bigger, and more comfortable? Why did they start to decorate them in different ways? From the pyramid erected so that an Egyptian pharaoh would last forever to the dramatic, machine-like Pompidou Center designed by two young architects, Patrick Dillon’s stories of remarkable buildings — and the remarkable people who made them — celebrates the ingenuity of human creation. Stephen Biesty’s extraordinarily detailed illustrations take us inside famous buildings throughout history and demonstrate just how these marvelous structures fit together.

Conquer the Day: A Book of Affirmations


Josh Mecouch - 2021
    Under the Twitter (@pants) and Instagram handle @PantsPants, Josh Mecouch has a large following who delight in his bizarre and unique illustrations. Now, Conquer the Day invites fans into the larger Pants universe, introducing new characters and never-before-seen art. Pairing encouraging affirmations with emotive black-and-white illustrations—highlighted with the occasional splash of color—Josh takes us on a journey into the world of self-improvement. The contrast between the positive affirmations and the visceral style of the illustrations point to the tension between our hopes and aspirations and the reality of our day-to-day lives as we strive to realize our best selves.Unlock the power of affirmations:I exhale weakness and inhale confidence.I am sexy and people want to be around me.My path to sucess success is inevitable.I focus on what I can control. I organize my socks.

Leave Me Alone with the Recipes: The Life, Art, and Cookbook of Cipe Pineles


Cipé PinelesMaira Kalman - 2017
    P.”) Pineles, the first female art director at Condé Nast, whose impact lives on in the work of Maira Kalman, Julia Rothman, and many others. Completed in 1945, it was a keepsake of her connection to her childhood’s Eastern European food--she called it Leave Me Alone with the Recipes. For Wendy and Sarah, it was a talisman of a woman they had not known was their idol: a strong, independent spirit whose rich archive--of drawings, recipes, diaries, and letters to family and friends--led them into a dazzling history of mid-century design, art, food, New York City society, and culture.They teamed up with Maria Popova of Brain Pickings and Debbie Millman of Design Matters, along with contributors Mimi Sheraton, Steven Heller, Paula Scher, and Maira Kalman, to present Cipe Pineles’s life and work as it should be presented--in glorious color. With Pineles’s illustrated cookbook and a section of updated recipes as its centerpiece, this gorgeous volume will delight foodies and design devotees alike.

Building on Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi


Rachel Victoria Rodriguez - 2009
    The wild beauty of this landscape makes a deep impression. He thinks of it as the Great Book of Nature, and he will read from it all of his life.Gaudí becomes an architect, learning the rules of form and structure that buildings are supposed to follow. But the shapes and colors of the natural world still inspire him, and he works them into his buildings. Leaves climb up walls. Pillars are giant animal feet. A long bench snakes around a playground.Antoni Gaudí turned nature into art, and in the process he revolutionized the world of architecture.

The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art


Cynthia Levinson - 2021
    So when Ben and the rest of his family make their way to America, Ben brings both his sharp artistic eye and his desire to fight for what’s right. As he grows, he speaks for justice through his art—by disarming classmates who bully him because he’s Jewish, by defying his teachers’ insistence that he paint beautiful landscapes rather than true stories, by urging the US government to pass Depression-era laws to help people find food and jobs.

Vincent Van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars


Joan Holub - 2001
    Full-color illustrations.

Significant Others: Creativity and Intimate Partnership


Whitney Chadwick - 1993
    Here, 13 critics and historians aim to challenge and redefine conventional presumptions in an original and revealing series of essays on artist and writer couples who shared both sexual and artistic bonds. "Significant Others" features couples whose literary and artistic renown has been compounded by the fame - or notoriety - of their relationships. The contributors explore the nature of artistic companionships; questions of identity; gender and sexuality; and social stereotypes. Many consider how women and men have been evaluated in relation to their partners in biographies, art history and literary criticism. The reader is encouraged to think anew about inspirational interaction and both women's and men's contribution to culture and their art. The partnerships featured are: Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin; Sonia and Robert Delaunay; Clara and Andre Malraux; Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant; Virginia Woolf and Vita-Sackville West; Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst; Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera; Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy; Anais Nin and Henry Miller; Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett; Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg; Simone and Andre Schwarz-Bart; and Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock.