August 29 – Happiness Happens Month

About the Holiday

Happiness Happens Month reminds us that happiness doesn’t have to be something we plan for or spend money on. In fact paying attention to those little moments during each day, going on spontaneous outings with friends or family, or taking time to do a favorite activity may be all you need to feel happier every day! With summer coming to a close and school starting again, it’s a great time to reflect on the fun you’ve had over the past months and all the memories that are about to be made as another year of activities, education, new friendships, and excitement unfolds. Happiness really does come to you if you look for it and let it happen!

An Abundance of Light: a Story of Matisse in Morocco

By Lauren Stringer

As Paris endured a cold and rainy season, Henri Matisse suffered. How could he paint light and colors when he was surrounded by gray? His friend Albert Marquet suggested he visit Tangier, Morocco, “where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea.” There, he said, “the sunlight was abundant!” Henri packed up all of his supplies and made the trip. But it seemed Henri had brought the rainy weather with him. He tried to paint colorful irises and a basket of oranges and lemons, but he still felt gloomy and trapped.

Then one night while Henri slept, the rain stopped. In the morning he woke to ” . . . an abundance of light. A luminous light. A dazzling light.” Henri took his sketchbook and hurried into town, where color shimmered from the pink mosque to the vibrant Grand Socco market to the Casbah gateway to old Medina. Everywhere he looked he saw the vividness of life. Brightly patterned rugs and painted pottery reminded him of the art his grandparents and mother created in their drab town. “Henri felt a glimmer in the cloudy and dark.”

Henri found a large garden to paint in and began painting the lavender branches, green acanthus, blue periwinkles and “pink-tomato sky” he saw. Despite his “bright and bold” colors, he still felt something cloudy and dark. Then one day, following the music of fiddles, flutes, and drums that filled the air. Henri found a cafe, “where men in long robes gazed at goldfish in round bowls.” Henri was mesmerized by the reds and golds of the fish as well.

When Henri left the cafe, “he saw an abundance of shadows.” In fact, the dark shadows accentuated the light. Finally, he understood that light and color and dark could work together. In his new paintings he surrounded his colorful subjects with colorful shadows. He interpreted light itself into brilliant color. And in a painting completed from his hotel window, Henri painted shadows of such a dark blue that he realized “he could paint light and color, even in the dark.” At home when Henri displayed his paintings in a gallery in Paris, they were a sensation. Now, whenever the skies turned gloomy and rainy, Henri remembered the abundance of light in Morocco and painted.

Back matter includes a short biography about Henri Matisse’s childhood, a discussion of Matisse and his time in Tangier, and a note from the Lauren Stringer about her trip to Tangier that inspired her story. She also includes an illustrated glossary of terms found in the book.

Celebrated author, picture book illustrator, and painter Lauren Stringer immerses young children in a particular time in Henri Matisse’s life and reveals how he overcame obstacles to create some of this best-known paintings. His struggles and search for enlightenment are simply and honestly portrayed, lending to his eureka moment deep joy and surprise. The enthusiastic reception for these paintings, Matisse’s newly discovered ability to find light and color even during dark days, and the lessons his artistic parents demonstrated are all reminders that light shines from within.

Stringer’s striking pastel, charcoal, gouache, and digital media illustrations entice readers to join Henri Matisse on his journeys both internal and artistic. Her realistic depictions of Matisse’s circle of famous friends, and the sights of Tangier will entice readers to learn more. As Henri breaks out of his artist’s block, Stringer portrays him with a sprightliness of step, a perceptive eye, and a deft touch with the brush. Readers will be especially fascinated by the side-by-side models and paintings that reveal how Matisse transposed reality to canvas.

An Abundance of Light is a must addition to school and public libraries collections and is highly recommended for art-loving and artistic children. The book would also make an impactful resource for art classrooms and creative projects.

Ages 4 – 8

Beach Lane Books, 2025 | ISBN 978-1534493629

About the Author/Illustrator

Lauren Stringer has illustrated many celebrated picture books, including Deer Dancer by Mary Lyn Ray; The Princess and Her Panther by Wendy Orr; Scarecrow and Snow, both written by Cynthia Rylant; as well as her own Winter Is the Warmest Season, When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky, The Dark Was Done, and An Abundance of Light. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at LaurenStringer.com.

Happiness Happens Month Activity

CPB - Happiness typography

Happiness Is… Game

Happiness is all around you! Grab one or more friends to play a game that reveals what things make you happy.

Like the “Geography” game: the first player names something that makes them happy, the next player must think of something that starts with the last letter of the word the previous player said. The game continues with each player continuing the pattern. Players drop out as they cannot think of a word. The last player left is the winner.

You can purchase An Abundance of Light from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (discounted books and support for your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review

July 1 – National Watercolor Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Today, I’m celebrating World Watercolor Month with a biography of a woman artist born in 1861 who not only worked in watercolors but brought the delicately blended beauty of the art form to the solid medium of glass as the creator of iconic Tiffany designs. World Watercolor Month was begun in 2016 by Charlie O’Shields, the creator of Doodlewash®, host of the Sketching Stuff podcast, and founder of a social artist movement dedicated to promoting and connecting watercolor artists from all over the world. The holiday also raises awareness of the global importance of art and creativity. Everyone from amateurs to professionals are welcome to participate—and if you’ve never painted with watercolors before, now’s a great time to try! If you’d like prompts to inspire your work and other ways to enjoy the month and take your love of watercolor painting into next month and beyond, visit Doodlewash.

Thank you to Peachtree and Barbara Fisch of Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps

Written by Sandra Nickel | Illustrated by Julie Paschkis

As a young girl, Clara Driscoll grew up surrounded by glorious gardens blooming with morning glories, apple blossoms, and wildflowers and shimmering with the dragon flies they attracted. Clara often sketched the gardens, and when she grew older, she enrolled in art school, hoping to turn her talent for drawing into a job that could help her financially struggling family. After graduation, Clara moved to New York City and took a job working for glassmaker Louis C. Tiffany.

Clara’s task was to choose and cut pieces of glass for the craftsmen to join together with metal ridges to make beautiful stained glass windows. She used her creative eye to “‘paint’ robes, halos, and great wings of angels” with “dappled and streaked, shaded and shimmering” glass. It didn’t take long for Louis to recognize Clara’s talent, and soon she was overseeing her own group of women known as Tiffany Girls. Missing her gardens back home, Clara had the idea to make a lamp from the delicate glass that would bring the beauty of a garden inside.

She and the Tiffany Girls cut small pieces of glass to make butterfly wings, and then “together with the craftsmen, she formed the butterfly wings into a lampshade.” Once the kerosene wick was lit, “light bloomed as never before.” Next, Clara wanted to bring the brilliance of dragonflies to her new creation. But cutting and forming the glass into the intricate wings of a dragonfly was time consuming, and one of the managers said that “she could never make another.”

That, however, was before Louis Tiffany saw the lamp and asked Clara “to make another to display at the World’s Fair in Paris.” At the fair, Clara’s lamp won the bronze medal. The lamp’s success “astounded” Louis. He put Clara and the Tiffany Girls in charge of making lamps and windows representing the beauty of natural landscapes.

Feeling shut out, the craftsmen announced a strike unless Louis fired the women. But Louis knew the value of Clara’s imagination and work, so he compromised with the men: Clara’s workshop would not get bigger, but “Clara would be in charge of lamp-making from that day forward.”

Elated, Clara began creating new designs inspired by the gardens she’d sketched at home as well as nature she found within the city, all informed by her meticulous research. In the basement storage room, she searched for pieces of glass that were just the right hues to bring to life each petal, flower, leaf, and stem. In one astonishing design, she recreated wisteria with 2,000 tiny petals.

While Clara’s work was recognized inside the studio, because her lamps were only known as “Tiffany lamps,” no one else knew they were Clara’s creation. It was only after both Louis and Clara passed away and Clara’s letters to her sisters were discovered that people learned the truth about how Clara made light bloom “throughout the world.”

Back matter includes an Author’s Note that goes into more detail about Clara’s letters home, Louis C. Tiffany’s reaction to her initial idea, and Clara’s long, intricate process for designing each lamp; a list of museums where you can see Tiffany Lamps; and the names of two archives where Clara’s letters can be read; a bibliography; and dates and quotes for references found in the book.

Sandra Nickel’s fascinating and eye-opening story about Clara Driscoll, one of the world’s most innovative artists, is both inspirational and uplifting. Nickel’s heartfelt, straightforward storytelling about Clara’s early years allows readers to see how youthful experiences and interests can influence their later endeavors—creative and otherwise. Nickel also emphasizes Clara’s remarkable vision for ways to expand the use of stained glass in the 1890s as well as her advocacy for herself and her ideas, making her an excellent role model for all children. And while Clara was not recognized for her work during her lifetime, art lovers can be grateful that Louis C. Tiffany knew brilliance when he saw it and valued her contributions—another aspect of Clara’s story to celebrate.

Julie Paschkis’s dazzling, folk-style illustrations bring the intricate and delicate beauty of stained glass to the page, telling Clara’s story visually in a way similar to the windows she often worked on. Taking kids into the Tiffany studio, Paschkis demonstrates how Clara, the Tiffany Girls, and the craftsmen chose, cut, and pieced together to create complex scenes that glow with life still today. Paschkis faithfully recreates Clara’s iconic dragonfly lamp, an image that will wow kids.

A vibrant biography of a visionary artist, Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps is an inspiring book to share with creatives of all types at home, in the classroom, and for art and crafts programs. The book is a must addition to any library collection.

Ages 7 – 10

Peachtree, 2025 | ISBN 978-1682636091

About the Author

Sandra Nickel is an award-winning author of picture books and has two new books out this Spring: Seven, A Most Remarkable Pigeon, an uplifting tale that celebrates differences, and Making Light Bloom, Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps, in which Sandra continues her mission to celebrate extraordinary individuals who have been nearly forgotten by history. She is honored to be the winner of a Christopher Award, the winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Crystal Kite Award, a finalist for the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Younger Readers, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection honoree, and a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended author. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults and has presented workshops on writing for children and young adults throughout the United States and Europe. Visit her at sandranickel.com. You’ll also find her on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.

About the Illustrator

Julie Paschkis is an award-winning illustrator of more than 25 books for children. A graduate of Cornell University and the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology, she taught art to grade school children for a number of years before turning her full attention to painting, textile design, and creating illustrations for her books. Visit her at juliepaschkis.com to see more of her work and download whimsical and nature-inspired coloring pages for kids and adults. You’ll also find her on Facebook.

World Watercolor Month Activity

Tiffany Window Coloring Page

Create your own brilliant vision with this Tiffany Window Coloring Page!

You can purchase Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps from these booksellers.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

May 13 – Get Ready for International Museum Day on May 18

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

International Museum day was created in 1977 by the International Council of Museums to raise awareness that “museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” The theme for this year is “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities.” Museums are not just repositories of the past. They are vital and active members of the communities they serve and as such can be leaders in tackling some of society’s biggest issues. This year’s theme focuses on “how museums can navigate and contribute to a world undergoing profound social, technological, and environmental shifts” and addresses three main points:

Support for local economies by creating employment opportunities and offering educational programs
Driving innovation and enhancing accessibility by fostering creativity and embracing technological advancements
Contributing to sustainable urban development by acting as cultural hubs that promote inclusion, resilience, and heritage preservation

To celebrate International Museum Day, visit a museum near you—and don’t forget to print and take along the activity sheet found below!

Thank you to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for sending me a copy of Sakina and the Uninvited Guests!

Sakina and the Uninvited Guests

By Zahra Marwan

When a sandstorm turns “the city orange—the sun like a tangerine, the waves like clementine peels,” Sakina’s mother drives past the beach, where Sakina had hoped to spend the day, and goes to the museum. Inside, Sakina gazes with boredom at the statues of a crocodile holding papers and a blue jaguar guarding the first laws ever written. She nearly trips over one of the many, many winged lions. She can’t believe there had once been so many flying lions in her city. But as they move from exhibit to exhibit, Sakina sees that her mama’s eyes, keep “filling with tears” as they come upon likenesses of her mom and her uncle, a ring she used to have, and other familiarities.

Sakina can’t understand her mother’s affection for “. . . all of these old, boring, boring things.” But then Sakina stumbles and another winged lion seems to be watching her. In fact . . . “Did he just . . . wink at her? Sakina was absolutely sure.” Suddenly, it’s time to leave, and while Sakina’s backpack feels heavier, she feels lighter, hopeful she will soon be playing by the sea.

At home, it’s nap time, and while everyone else sleeps, Sakina cannot. Suddenly, she hears strange noises and follows them to find the crocodile, jaguar, and winking winged lion crawling from her backpack. Sakina is nonplussed and worried the noise will wake the household. Sakina tries to catch them, but they run through the house, toppling furniture and knick-knacks, knocking pictures off the walls.

As she picks up a photograph of her grandmother, though, she notices how her eyes “were full of life and water, like the sea. Like the people in the museum.” Sakina then helps the crocodile pick up his scattered papers and realizes they are poems. She reads a line: “‘I hope they will remember me.'” Suddenly, Sakina understands. She feels the “thousands and thousands of years, in that little crocodile. Thousands and thousands of years, in little Sakina.”

With the lifting of the sandstorm and her promise to remember them, Sakina’s guests depart just as her mother appears with a gift from the museum shop—a set of small familiar porcelain figurines. At last Sakina gets her wish, but as she and Mama walk to the sea, she can’t wait to return to the museum and tell its inhabitants “‘I remember you.'”

Back matter includes an Author’s Note in which Zahra Marwin explains the significance of the crocodile sculpture in her story and how people have had and will always have the same feelings—from the times of ancient history into the future. She also touches on the other sculptures she has depicted here and asks readers to consider what kind of art people were making thousands of years ago in the area where they live now as well as the kind of art their ancestors would have been familiar with. In another note, Marwan discusses several particular parts of the book, including the origins of distinct words and phrases, the value placed on education in the Middle East, and her inclusion of two recreated modern paintings.

Whimsical and profound, Zahra Marwan’s story of a trip to a museum reaches deep into the heart and invites readers to join the collective memory of their own family as well as that of the world at large. Marwan reminds us that, just as the sea that Sakina longs to visit, museums and even history itself is always alive with the past, the present, and what’s to come.

Children will be charmed by Sakina who, despite her disappointment about not visiting the sea and some boredom, wanders the museum with an open mind and curiosity. Her alertness to her mother’s emotions shows empathy and a close bond. Sakina is also attuned to her mother’s eyes and the eyes of the paintings and sculptures. Children will notice that Marwan has also drawn Sakina with her “mother’s eyes” when the winged lion, crocodile, and jaguar hitch a ride in her backpack and again when they emerge from it at her house, spurring her to a deeper understanding of what she has seen.

Marwan’s lyrical language, carried on gentle waves of consonance and assonance, beautifully adds texture and imagery to the pages, each of which are washed in gorgeous colors and exquisite recreations of paintings and sculptures that will intrigue readers and spark an interest in visiting museums in their own area.

Infused with depth and enchantment, Sakina and the Uninvited Guests is sure to become a favorite read aloud and a captivating spark for discussions about family heritage at home as well as for classroom genealogical projects. The book is highly recommended for home bookshelves and is a must for all school and library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2025 | ISBN 978-1547613427

Zahra Marwan grew up in two deserts: one close to the sea in Kuwait, the other close to the mountains in New Mexico. She is a fine artist who exhibits extensively and has won international awards and fellowships, including a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book, NPR Best Books of 2022, an Ezra Jack Keats Honor for Illustration, a Dilys Evans Founders Award from the Society of Illustrators, and more. She studied the visual arts in France and currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she keeps a small studio at the Harwood Art Center. Visit her at zahramarwan.com.

International Museum Day Activity

Museum Visit Activity Sheets

Interact with your museum visit on International Museum Day or any time you go with this activity sheet that gets you thinking, feeling, and remembering your favorite parts of your trip!

International Museum Day Activity Sheet

My Trip to the Museum Activity Sheet

Open Dyslexic Font International Museum Day Activity Sheet

Open Dyslexic Font My Trip to the Museum Activity Sheet

You can purchase Sakina and the Uninvited Guests from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (discounted books and support for your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review

May 18 – International Museum Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

International Museum day was created in 1977 by the International Council of Museums to raise awareness that “museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” The theme for this year is “The Power of Museums.” Museums are not just repositories of the past. They are vital and active members of the communities they serve and as such can be leaders in tackling some of society’s biggest issues. This year the International Council of Museums aimsto “explore the potential of museums to bring about positive change in their communities through three lenses: the power of achieving sustainability, the power of innovating digitalization and accessibility, and the power of community building through education. To learn more about these initiatives, visit the ICOM website. Celebrate International Museum Day by visiting a museum near you – or visit many world-famous museums through today’s book.

The Ultimate Art Museum

By Ferren Gipson

A blurb on the cover of this astounding book sums up the lofty goals it achieves: “40,000 years of the world’s most amazing art in one dream museum!” Indeed, once readers open the cover and accept the “ticket” offered, they can peruse the museum map that lays out the three wings, 18 galleries, and 128 rooms, plus a cafe and garden, that await them. An note from author Ferren Gipson introduces readers to the range of ways art can influence and reflect their times and the people who lived during different eras.

Gipson’s conversational style follows visitors to this unique museum from page to page, prompting them to look, consider, understand, and make connections. On some pages, a question or comment marked by an eye sends readers to another gallery or room to compare artworks, subjects, or themes across time and cultures. Some of these give a page number to consult, while others allow readers to study a room or gallery to find the artwork referred to.

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Wing 1, appropriately, presents “treasures from the world’s earliest civilizations and the earliest art ever made.” Here, children and adults will find cave art; figurines carved from ivory, bone, and stone; treasures from ancient empires, carved reliefs, the painted, sculpted, and gilded wonders of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The intricate art of the Byzantine, early Islamic, and Medieval worlds demonstrate important aspects of these cultures as do works from ancient East Asia well as South and Southeast Asia. Readers then cross the Atlantic Ocean to discover the pottery, sculptures, and fabrics created by Native societies of North and South America. Each artwork is accompanied by a paragraph that will draw children in with clear, concise, and fascinating descriptions of the artwork, what it means, and, sometimes, even secrets that it holds.

Time for a break? Turn the page and enter the Café, where the “menu,” consisting of “Snacks, Mains, and Dessert” offers delectable choices depicted in paintings and sculpture. Refreshed, readers can step into Wing 2, where the galleries hold treasures from the 1200s to the 1800s created in Asia, including book illustrations, a palepai cloth, a puppet, scholar paintings, porceline, folding screens, carpets, and even the Taj Mahal.

The Renaissance comes to Europe with an impressive display of curiosity and learning that resulted in many changes to society and art. “Artists came up with better ways to mix oil paints and began to paint on canvas for the first time. And what scientists learned about the human body helped them paint and sculpt people who looked very real.” The subjects of artworks expanded too to include “portraits, mythology, and everyday life.” Dragon lovers can take up the challenge to compare two dragons – one created by an Italian master and the other found on a Chinese vase from the Yuan Dynasty.

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From 1600 – 1850, dramatic and lifelike paintings became popular. Dark shadows and highlighted areas gave paintings an atmospheric feel that invited viewers to look closely. In one of Diego Velázquez’s famous Las Meninas painting, all of the people portrayed seem to be looking out from the canvas at you. But who are they really looking at? The answer can be found reflected in a mirror on the back wall. In addition to realistic family and town life, landscapes also became popular during this time.

Moving to another room, readers will find that the art of the Pacific Islands is distinctively different in its depictions of “images of gods, spirits, and ancestors of the people who lived there.” Those works created from stone and wood have survived through the ages while “others, such as objects made from delicate spider webs or flowers, have disappeared.” Art from the continent of Africa is up next. With its many unique kingdoms and communities, Africa has produced unique artworks that “celebrate leaders and tell the stories of Africa’s great empires and civilizations.” Clay, wood, metal, ivory, and cloth have been used to “create art with spiritual and practical purposes.”

Ah! Time for a walk through the garden. Which path will you take? The one past Georgia O’Keefe’s “Red Poppy” or one where you can see a moth and a caterpillar on the branch of a citrus tree? Perhaps you’d like to stroll through a hurricane with a tiger on your trail with Henri Rousseau’s “Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised)” or maybe you’d like a fragrant walk through Gustav Klimt’s “Flower Garden.”

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Wing 3 takes readers to modern times, when “almost anything is possible in art!” In this wing, visitors will see “art that does not have a set purpose.” Instead, the artists represented here “created works that were experimental and personal. They used unusual materials and tried exciting techniques.” In these rooms, readers will encounter the Impressionists, who were interested in capturing a moment in time, and Post-Impressionists, who experimented with color, techniques, and subject matter. Readers will no doubt recognize paintings by Mary Cassatt, Vincent Van Gogh, and Georges Seurat.

American realist painters took city scenes, sports events, tender moments between family members, and many other topics. The Cubist period began when some artists experimented in showing their subject from a variety of angles at one time. Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque are just a few of the famous artists who “chopped up and rearranged images” to make a new style of art.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-ultimate-art-museum-map

Visitors will also learn about the Dada movement, Expressionism, and American Regionalism. Photography took center stage as cameras became lighter and easier to use. The art of the Harlem Renaissance by Black Americans is reflected in a painting of Harriet Tubman by William H. Johnson, a bronze bust of a boy by Augusta Savage, and a quilt by Harriet Powers – one of only two that still exist.

After visiting a room of modern works from India and Mexico, readers enter the dizzying world of the Surrealists. Surrealism “shows real objects but in a completely fantastical way. It explores how dreams, imaginations, and the inner workings of the mind can be shown in art.” A train emerging from the “tunnel” of a fireplace, a fur teacup, saucer, and spoon, and Salvador Dali’s “drooping” clocks are a few of the works you’ll find here.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-ultimate-art-museum-cubism

In Wing 3, readers will also learn about Collages, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Conceptual art, and Op art that boggle the eyes and mind with their optical illusions. Pop art, Installations, contemporary sculptures large and small as well as Alexander Calder’s mobiles and artwork created from light stand side-by-side with Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s outdoor wrapping installations, Aboriginal Australian art, Feminist art, Chicanx art, performance art, video art, contemporary art, and so much more. If you’re a fan of selfies, you’ll want to stop at the Hall of Selfies and see how four artists anticipated and/or reflect this very modern art form.

Helpful maps accompany each wing and gallery change to show readers where the art in that gallery comes from or its influence. A smaller map inset often orients readers to where the region represented is situated in the world at large.

Back matter includes an Author’s Note, a map of 54 major museums around the world, a glossary of terms found in the text, and an index.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-ultimate-art-museum-selfies

Ferren Gipson is the “cool” docent every visitor wants as their tour leader on a trip to a museum. Full of enthusiasm for art and its impact, gifted with a wealth of knowledge, and quick with a fun fact, a humorous aside, or an intriguing nugget of perspective, Gipson will wow kids and adults alike with her love of all kinds of art. Open The Ultimate Art Museum to any page and readers will immediately be absorbed by whatever style of art or time in history they’ve hit upon and will eagerly wander from gallery to gallery, room to room, page to page to learn more.

The Ultimate Art Museum has applications for strong cross-curricular study for teachers and homeschoolers, expertly connecting history, art, changing societies, and more visually and textually. Gipson’s entertaining and thorough treatment of her topic will get kids excited about visiting museums of all kinds, and arm-chair travelers will wile away many happy hours wandering its pages.

The Ultimate Art Museum is a must for classrooms and school and public libraries and would be a much-loved addition to home bookshelves or coffee tables.

Ages 8 and up

Phaidon, 2021 | ISBN 978-1838663780

Discover more about Ferren Gipson, her books, work, and podcast “Art Matters” on her website.

International Museum Day Activity

Create a Museum Exhibit

Every item has a story. Maybe there’s a funny anecdote behind that knick-knack on your shelf. Perhaps your favorite serving dish holds sentimental value. How about your child’s best-loved toy or a drawing or craft they’ve made? A fun and educational way for kids to learn family stories and interact with their own history is to create a museum exhibit of objects in your home.

For teachers this can be a fun classroom activity that incorporates writing, art, and speaking as well as categorizing skills. Students can use objects in the classroom or bring items from home to set up museum exhibits. This activity can be done as a whole-class project or by smaller groups, who then present their exhibit to the rest of the class.

Supplies

A number of household or classroom items
Paper or index cards
Markers
A table, shelf, or other area for display

Directions

To get started help children gather a number of items from around the house to be the subjects of their exhibit. An exhibit can have a theme, such as Grandma’s China or Travel Souvenirs, or it can contain random items of your child’s choice, such as toys, plants, tools, even the furniture they see and use every day.
Using the paper or cards and markers, children can create labels for their exhibit items. Older children will be able to write the labels themselves; younger children may need adult help.
Spend a little time relating the story behind each object: where it came from, how long you’ve had it, when and how it was used in the past, and include any funny or touching memories attached to the item. Or let your child’s imagination run free, and let them create histories for the objects.
When the labels are finished, arrange the items on a table, shelf, or in a room, and let your child lead family members or classmates on a tour. You can even share the exhibit with family and friends on social media.
If extended family members live in your area, this is a wonderful way for your child to interact with them and learn about their heritage.

**You can find The Ultimate Art Museum at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

September 29 – It’s Intergeneration Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Cuddle ‘round for two loving holidays—Intergeneration Month and National Attend Your Grandchild’s Birth Day—which each encourage grandparents to be present figures in their grandchildren’s lives starting from birth! Already, many grandparents across the globe play active roles in caring for children. In the US alone, 4.8 million preschoolers were under the care of grandparents in 2011. Whether you are a grandchild, parent, or grandparent, it is important to support family and spread some love. Hug someone special today to celebrate this holiday. In honor of this day, we present a story about artist Maria Povika Martinez, co-written by her great-granddaughter. Her historical account teaches the importance of love, family, and the passing down of knowledge through generations.

Thanks to Albert Whitman & Company for sharing a copy of Shaped By Her Hands with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Review by Dorothy Levine

Shaped By Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez (Part of the She Made History Series)

Written by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales | Illustrated by Aphelandra

As a child growing up in the pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico in the 1890s, Maria always loved clay. While her siblings played with straw dolls and her parents planted crops, Maria spent her time making clay pots. But, to her frustration, her pots would always crack when she set them out to dry in the sun. Maria’s aunt, or ko-ōo, Nicolasa offered to help and showed Maria “the centuries-old tradition of san-away.” Nicolasa still made clay pots using these traditional methods, even though more and more people were buying tin pots from stores.

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Image copyright Aphelandra, 2021, text copyright Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales, 2021. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

Nicolasa taught Maria how to coil the clay in circles and then lay the pots together on a fire to make them dry, solid, and strong. “As Maria watched Nicolasa work the clay, she thought of the many generations of potters who had come before. She wanted to make bowls as strong and beautiful as her ko-ōo’s.” Nicolasa and Maria thanked Mother Earth for the clay she shared with them.

When Maria grew older, she continued to make pots and gained a reputation for her skilled work. One day in 1908, an archeologist named Edgar Lee Hewett came to visit Maria. He had discovered an old shard of black pottery in a dig nearby. Mr. Hewett wanted to know if Maria could recreate a pot in the similar style. She decided to take on the challenge.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-shaped-by-her-hands-Nicolasa

Image copyright Aphelandra, 2021, text copyright Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales, 2021. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

After much experimentation, Maria and her husband, Julian Martinez, discovered a technique: “One afternoon, they tried smothering the fire to keep the smoke in. When they pulled out the pot, it was shiny, and black as a raven.” With this new method, Maria combined her own style with old traditions to create a new style of pottery that was marvelous. Mr. Hewitt took some of these pots Maria made. “He put one of the pots in the Museum of New Mexico, where he worked.” The others he took to shops in Santa Fe. To Maria’s surprise, they sold like crazy! Julian began to paint designs on the black shiny pots—decorations of serpents, feathers, and water—using a yucca-blade brush.

As more and more pots sold, Maria and Julian taught the rest of her family and some friends to make the pots with them. They became so famous that many people across the country invited them to demonstrate their skills to others. When Maria’s husband died, she continued to make pots with her family. “First, her children came to paint the designs. Later, her grandchildren came to help with the painting and polishing. They made pots as a family, remembering to thank Mother Earth, and teaching new hands to form, polish, and design.”

The story is followed by back matter that provides more information about Maria, the Tewa people, and the San Ildefonso Pueblo for readers. Both authors include a note about how they were influenced by Maria and why they believe it is important to share her story with young people today.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-shaped-by-her-hands-generations

Image copyright Aphelandra, 2021, text copyright Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales, 2021. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

The story is co-written by Barbara Gonzales, the great-grandchild of Maria, and Anna Harber Freeman, whose grandmother was a member of the Osage Nation and who is a lifelong fan of Maria’s work with degrees in multicultural education and art. Their biography of Maria Martinez shines with its lyrical, straightforward telling that reveals the deep history of the Tewa people as well as the meaning and uses of the pottery that Maria and her ko-ōo Nicolasa created by hand. The importance of passing down knowledge and traditions from one generation to another is organically woven throughout the story. Many readers will recognize Maria and Julian’s distinctive pottery and be inspired by the history behind it.

Aphelandra is a descendant of the Oneida Nation, and the daughter of a crafts artist and landscaper. She writes that she grew up surrounded by natural beauty and creativity, which can be seen in her illustrations. The illustrations in Shaped by Her Hands consist largely of soft yellow, green, and red hues. In the part of the story in which Maria is sent off to boarding school, the colorful tones found throughout the book are confined to a single window, depicting the feeling of entrapment and homesickness Maria felt. Aphelandra vividly weaves in the storytelling of past generations through her use of color, shadow and circular imagery. Her painted landscapes gorgeously depict the natural San Ildefonso scenery.

This beautifully crafted tale shares the history of Maria Povika Martinez while introducing readers to Tewa people’s values of kindness, passing on of knowledge, and respect for elders and Mother Earth. An inspiring read for all children, especially those interested in artistic and creative endeavors, Shaped By Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez is highly recommended for home bookshelves and a must for school and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 9

Albert Whitman & Company, 2021 | ISBN 978-0807575994

Discover more about Anna Harber Freeman and her books on her website.

To learn more about Barbara Gonzales and her pottery and to view a video with Barbara and other artists discussing an exhibition of San Ildefonso Pueblo potters at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, visit the adobe gallery website.

You can learn more about Aphelandra, her books, and her artwork on her website.

Intergeneration Month Activity

Photo and craft sample by Madison McClain, courtesy of Highlights Kids (highlightskids.com)

This craft comes from Highlights Homemade Clay, by Marie E. Cecchini posted on April 12, 2016. You can find the post on the Highlights kids website.

Make your own homemade clay in honor of Maria’s art form then make your own pot or creation!

What you’ll need

2 cups baking soda
1 cup cornstarch
1 ¼ cups water
Cooking pot
Food coloring (optional)
Wiggly eyes, chenille sticks, pompoms, feathers, etc. (optional)

What to do

Note: Food coloring can be added to the water before mixing in the other ingredients or can be added to the clay after it has cooled. Adding coloring later may be a little messier, but you can divide the clay and create different batches of various colors.

Combine ingredients in the pot and cook mixture over medium heat, stirring until it thickens to a consistency like mashed potatoes.
Let the clay cool
Knead the clay until smooth.
Make creations!
Leave clay pieces in the sun to dry.

**You can find Shaped By Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

August 19 – World Photography Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Photography is all about providing information and emotion through images. A picture really can be worth a thousand words in capturing a moment of surprise, joy, danger, or sadness. Well-placed photographers, videographers, and cinematographers have given voice to some of society’s pivotal moments, allowing the whole world to witness change, often as it is happening. Today we celebrate the “art, craft, science, and history of photography,” as well as those photographers who often put themselves in danger to get the story and those who bring us much-needed lighter moments. To learn more visit the World Photography Day website.

Dorothea’s Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth

Written by Barb Rosenstock | Illustrated by Gérard DuBois

When Dorothea Lange opens her green eyes, she sees things others miss. In the shadows, in patterns within the grain of wooden tables, in the repeated shapes of windows on a wall, and most especially in people’s faces. “Dorothea loves faces! When Dorothea looks at faces, it’s like she’s hugging the world.”

At seven years old Dorothea contracts polio, which withered her right leg and left her with a permanent limp. Other kids tease her and make her want to hide, and although her mother encourages her Dorothea pretends to be invisible. When her father leaves his family, her mother gets a job in New York and Dorothea goes to a new school. Because she is different, she feels lonely.