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Books, Posters, Videos, and Websites
Children’s Book Briefs
Painting in the Renaissance. Una
D’Elia. New York, NY: Crabtree
Publishing Company, 2009. Illus.,
hardcover, 32 pp., $26.60.
From the beautiful self-portrait of
Sofonisba Anguissola on the cover
to the color illustrations of works by
Botticelli, Michelangelo, and da Vinci,
the visual appeal of this book will
captivate young readers while introducing them to Renaissance history,
accomplishments, discoveries, and
influential persons and inventions. It
contains images, well-written biog-raphies, historical notes, information
about ideas of the time, and a glossary
and index. This book is one of a lovely
series, including The Renaissance in
Europe, Painting in the Renaissance,
Exploration in the Renaissance, and
Science in the Renaissance. All of
these books would make a terrific
addition to any elementary classroom
or artroom.
—Reviewed by Sharon Warwick, an art
educator from Denton, Texas.
Georgia Rises: A Day in the Life of
Georgia O’Keeffe. Kathryn Lasky.
New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 2009. Illus., hardcover,
40 pp., $16.95.
This abstract narration of Geor-
gia O’Keeffe’s life on her ranch in
Abiquiu, New Mexico, provides
insight into O’Keeffe’s artistic per-
spective and creative process. The
story follows Georgia throughout
her day, from when she wakes up in
the morning to the lavender color
of the morning sky, to when she
retires at night with a slice of silver
moon hanging outside her bedroom
window. The colorful, abstract illus-
trations help communicate the way
Georgia observes and interprets the
landscape of where she lives. A bio-
graphical overview of O’Keeffe’s life,
along with a reproduction of one of
her paintings extends this portrait of
a beloved American artist. Recom-
mended for elementary-level students.
—Reviewed by Cindy Hasio, a Ph.D student in Art Education at the University of
North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Bookmarks
Dreaming Cows: The Paintings,
Murals and Drawings of Betty
LaDuke Celebrating Heifer International. Susan Jo Bumagin. Little
Rock, AR: Heifer International,
2009. Illus., softcover, 171 pp.,
$20.00.
This book describes how artist Betty
LaDuke documents the lives, trans-
formations, and beauty of different
cultures around the world. Her jour-
neys were inspired by her desire to
help people whose lives were once
full of hunger, poverty, and desper-
ate living conditions. LaDuke works
with Heifer International, an organi-
zation whose mission is to work with
communities around the world and
end hunger and poverty. LaDuke’s art
reflects this same goal. Her paintings,
sketches, murals, and other colorful
works show the dignity and respect
of each culture she observed on her
travels around the world. Beautiful
pages, descriptions, and multiple sto-
ries capture LaDuke’s diverse experi-
ences. Included inside is a six-page
color mural foldout. Recommended for
all ages.
—Reviewed by Cindy Hasio, a Ph.D student in Art Education at the University of
North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Mirror of the World: A New History
of Art. Julian Bell. New York, NY:
Thames & Hudson, 2010. Illus.,
softcover, 496 pp., $34.95.
Art historian, painter, and educator
Julian Bell gives readers a new, vivid,
and compelling history of human
artistic achievements, from prehistoric stone carvings to the latest video
installations. Bell presents ideas and
objects that reveal how art is a product of our shared experience and how,
like a mirror, it can reflect the human
condition. He covers civilizations’
beginning art and informs readers of
changing ideas through a comprehensive analysis of postmodernism in
the twenty-first century. What I most
enjoyed about this work is the lively
and engaging writing style that keeps
one reading. Bell offers a new voice
in the world of art history that will
provide a valuable reference for artists,
educators, and historians.
—Reviewed by Sharon Warwick, an art
educator from Denton, Texas.
