02/05/2018
In a cheery reminder of the pride of creating something and the many forms art can take, VanDerwater uses 26 poems to celebrate drawing, building, and designing, no matter one’s preferred medium. Fancher and Johnson use pencil, paint, and snippets of photos and text in their exuberant illustrations. A boy rides a horse with a thumb-print body across a field of photographed clover in the opening poem, “Maker,” and corrugated cardboard lends texture to a boy’s hideaway in “Fort” (“Make one out of fuzzy blankets./ Make one out of fallen sticks. Make one out of packing snow./ Make one out of mud and bricks”). Every poem is an invitation to get creative—the book is an obvious springboard into collaging, painting, baking, piñata making, and other activities at home or at school. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. (Mar.)
"Poetry sparks an irresistible, primal urge to twist, cut, paint, draw, glue, carve, whittle, daub, tie, hammer, to simply make." — Kirkus Reviews
"An effective medley of concept, poetry, and artwork. Hand this title directly to elementary school art teachers." — School Library Journal
"A cheery reminder of the pride of creating something and the many forms art can take." — Publishers Weekly
"Whether invoking cooking, sewing, tying knots, or other undertakings, this provides an enjoyable springboard for aspiring makers." — Booklist
01/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—This is art about art. Mostly rhyming poems present creations meant to inspire readers to make something. "I see spaceships every day/rocketing inside my mind./I would rather build those ships/than make the one this box assigned." From birdhouses to shadow puppets, the variety of projects included are delightful. The accompanying illustrations reflect the subject and medium of the poem. "Maker" is matched with photo cut-outs and thumbprint art. "Painting," "Collage," "Drawing," and "Leaf pictures," feature exact examples. The poems "Boat," "Piñata," and "Origami," are enhanced with a variety of art styles including watercolor and pencil sketches. The illustrations are inclusive and present a subtle challenge to gender norms with boys doing both the knitting and the glitter art. VERDICT An effective medley of concept, poetry, and artwork. Hand this title directly to elementary school art teachers.—Elaine Fultz, Madison Jr. Sr. High School, Middletown, OH
2017-11-22
This trove of construction projects, relayed through a series of poems, rouses readers to roll up their sleeves and make something with their own hands—a painting, a birdhouse, a knot, a piñata, a soap-bar sculpture, a batch of cookies, a painting, or even a shadow-puppet show. Lithe, immersive verse, voiced in the first person, inspires children to find solace, joy, and power in their handiwork. "I learn to draw by staying still. / I follow every line. / I love to draw because I know— / what I draw is mine." This orderly, balanced, primly conscientious closing stanza conveys both the focus a finely executed drawing requires and the private pride that arrives upon its completion. Varied pacing, style, and format allow these nimble poems to perfectly reflect the activity they describe. The taut verse binding "This knot / is not easy to tie. / It is not" captures the child's jaw-clenched frustration and concentration; its deft economy brilliantly embodies a tightly knotted rope. Teachers and caregivers will find ample opportunities to delve both into these fine poems' mechanics and the fantastic construction ideas they encourage and describe. Fancher and Johnson's mixed-media-collage illustrations support the verse, showing children of varying skin tones engaged in their projects; at times they allow their activities to swell surreally across the page, suggesting their transportive powers.Poetry sparks an irresistible, primal urge to twist, cut, paint, draw, glue, carve, whittle, daub, tie, hammer, to simply make. (Picture book/poetry. 4-10)
