SchoolArts - April 2007

Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself. Carmella Van Vleet. White River Junction, VT: Nomad Press, 2006. Softcover, 144 pp., $14.95.

This book, intended for ages nine and up, will motivate readers to create art and science projects based on the remarkable customs and innovations of one of the world’s most fascinating civilizations. The hands-on projects bring to life this ancient culture and stimulate experiential learning in a meaningful way. Biog- raphies, illustrations, historical facts, anecdotes, and activities allow children to create replicas, cook ancient recipes, and create wear- able jewelry and clothing. This truly fascinating book makes connections to history, math, and science while focusing mainly on the art and culture of ancient Egypt.

—Reviewed by Sharon Warwick, national sales consultant for Davis Publications.

Art of Still Life Drawing. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. Illus., soft cover, 160 pp., $17.95.

A traditional approach to drawing is presented with a focus on step-by-step techniques. Large pages with colorful and clearly illustrated details support an understanding of the principles that underlie artistic success, including symmetry, proportion, and perspective. Completion of the exercises leads

to explorations of various materials, including pencil, charcoal, India ink, glass, cloth, and wood. Shading and chiaroscuro, composition and spa- tial relationships, and realistic and abstract methods are covered to provide a viable resource for developing drawing skills.

Living by Wonder: The Imaginative Life of Childhood. Richard Lewis. New York, NY: Touchstone Center Publications, 2006. Softcover, 160 pp., $12.00.

Lewis portrays his insights on children’s profound thinking based on his interactions as a teacher and a father. Practical workshop descriptions, poetic quotes, and personal accounts are included. Lewis promotes the belief that imagination is a natural birthright and a treasure not to be squelched by standards-based school curriculums. “Perhaps we need . . . to begin with a language of imaginative thought as the basis of how we teach and how children learn.” This encouragement is particularly pertinent in an age of standards-based requirements. This collection of essays won the Parent’s Guide Classic Award for Outstanding Achievement in Parenting Materials when it first appeared in hardcover in 2002.

—Reviewed by Rebecca Martin, a museum educator at the Sid Richardson Collection in Fort Worth, Texas.

Web Reviews

Colonial Williamsburg www.history.org/Almanack/life/ trades/ tradehdr.cfm

Happy birthday, Jamestown—2007 will mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of English settlers to Virginia. Visit the Colonial Williamsburg Web site to discover the role that art played in the lives of these early colonists. Under “Trades” read short essays on basket-makers, carpenters and cabinetry-makers, milliners, tailors, wig makers, book-printers and binders, silversmiths, weavers, brass-founders, gunsmiths, coopers, masons, food-preparers, and more. A common thread through each essay is the colonists’ early dependence on foreign trade for items like furniture and cloth, the ingenuity and use of local materials to provide essentials like baskets and tools, and later, the develop- ment of a national style and aes- thetic.

Each essay includes additional resources, including a bibliography, links to articles from the Colonial Williamsburg Journal, and audio interviews with the modern craft-speople who interpret the lives of colonial artisans.

Teacher Resources are located under “Explore and Learn,” and feature a map of the town and two online exhibits. “Mapping Colonial America” provides context and close ups of hand-drawn maps.

Museums listed on the Colonial Williamsburg Web site include the De Witt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, the Abby Aldrich Rocke- feller Folk Art Museum, and Bassett Hall.