SchoolArts - August/September 2007

Children’s Book Briefs Sharon Warwick

Anita Takes Notes. Osvaldo P. Amelio-Ortiz and Andrea Rodri- guez Vidal. Montevideo, Uruguay: Nicanitas Books for Children, 2006. Illus., hardcover, 28 pp., $12.95.

Beautifully and boldly illustrated, Anita Takes Notes tells the story of an artistic little girl who keeps a notebook in which she keeps draw- ings and records the visual experi- ence of her life—a song of both laughter and strife.

Angular outlines enclose bright colors and textures in large two-page illustrations. Easy-to-read text makes this book just right for the short literature connection that might precede an art lesson for first or second grade.

Hugo and Miles in I’ve Painted Everything! An Adventure in Paris. Scott Magoon. Boston, MA: Hough- ton Mifflin Company, 2007. Illus., hardcover, 38 pp., $16.00.

Hugo is a blue elephant who is unable to paint because he thinks he has painted everything, so he consults his friend Miles who sug- gests a trip to Paris for inspiration. Once in Paris, Hugo finds inspira- tion and begins to paint from a new point of view. This charming story is illustrated in an entertaining, child-friendly manner. The content is important to all readers as they go in search of subject matter and style. The delightful illustrations of Paris landmarks, including the Louvre, are reason enough to have this in an elementary art class.

The Day the Dragon Danced. Carolyn Haugaard, illustrated by Carolyn Reed Barritt. Fremont, CA: Shen’s Books, 2006. Illus., hard- cover, 32 pp., $16.95.

Join Sugar and Grandma as they attend a multicultural Chinese New Year celebration. Sugar tries dragon beard’s candy and watches her father dance in the New Year’s dragon. The engaging storytelling and the expressive illustrations give the reader a charming perspective on this ancient tradition that is now truly American and Chinese. Use this book in your elementary art classroom to introduce a variety of lessons on culture, art, dragons, traditions, and themes from China or Chinatown. It encourages our appreciation and respect for people and entertains the reader at the same time. Sugar, Grandma, and Daddy all learn to dance together with their neighbors and to say “Gung hay fat choy” and “Happy New Year.”

—Sharon Warwick is a national art consul- tant for Davis Publications.

Bookmarks Rebecca Martin

The Photographer’s Guide to the Digital Darkroom. Bill Kennedy. New York, NY: Allworth Press, 2006. Illus., softcover, 256 pp., $29.95.

Digital photography is relatively new in the 180-year history of photography. The shift from the darkroom to computer software is still an evolving field. In this guide, Bill Kennedy defines how digital imag-

ing systems work and instructs on producing quality prints. Highlights on configuring Adobe Photoshop, grayscale prints, and color manage- ment are included. Kennedy empha- sizes development of vocabulary under the umbrella of skill sets— processes followed to put knowledge into practice. This guide to the challenging field of digital photography is comprehensive and will provide a transition from the old to the new methods of photography.

Making Art Together: How Collaborative Art-Making Can Transorm Kids, Classrooms, and Communities. Mark Cooper and Lisa Sjos- trom. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2006 . Illus., hardcover, 152 pp., $26.95.

Mark Cooper draws from his years of experience as a collaborative project leader in the East Coast arts community to report on inspir- ing youth, finding supporters, and integrating art projects into the average curriculum. He also shares his knowledge of financing, dealing with administrators, and classroom discipline. His strong belief that serious art-making “can serve as a powerful entry point into every subject at every grade level” is conveyed throughout the text. He suggests that students immersed in hands-on learning and expression will increase their retention of the experience more than from reading a textbook or working online.