Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* This book is a treasure! Twenty-three major children's book illustrators write informally about their art. Each artist's comments some practical, some philosophical, some whimsical, some serious occupy a single page illustrated with a picture (or two) of the illustrator as a child. On the facing page is a full-page self-portrait that opens into a gatefold. These wonderfully idiosyncratic portraits alone are worth the price of the book. Paul O. Zelinsky, for example, has done his contribution in the style of an Italian Renaissance master; Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart have created a robot pop-up with tiny pictures of themselves inside. But there's more! Open the gatefold and find a double-page spread loaded with fascinating stuff: sketches, reproductions of finished illustrations, childhood drawings, photographs of the artists' studios, snapshots of them at work. A toast to the artists and to the lovely book they have made together. Sales of the book will benefit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, and both Carle and museum director Nick Clark have contributed informative notes.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Young artists may find inspiration in these books on art and design. Composed of selected works from their exhibitions at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art offers kids and parents insight into the creative processes of renowned artists including Robert Sabuda, Tomie dePaola and Maurice Sendak. All the artists share their inspirations and personal beliefs about art; for each, a fold-out page reveals a selection of his or her artwork. With a foreword by Eric Carle that urges parents and educators to foster kids' artistic leanings, as well as illustrator biographies and bibliographies, this book offers a captivating look at these illustrators' methods and the passion that lies behind their work. Proceeds benefit the Eric Carle Museum. (Philomel, $30 114p ages 7-up ISBN 9780-399-24600-5; Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4 Up-This anthology celebrates and elucidates contemporary picture-book art, particularly that which has been exhibited at the Eric Carle Museum. An introduction (and entry) is penned by Carle himself; an afterword from the museum director highlights the institution's mission of nurturing young artists. Ashley Bryan, Quentin Blake, Leo Lionni, Alice Provensen, and Gennady Spirin are among the contributors, whose comments are formatted as signed letters, illustrated with childhood photographs. The missives speak of early stirrings of creativity, struggles with school, the importance of mentors, the joy of living a passion. Each artist includes glorious self-portraits and a gatefold page that reveals a marvelous array of sketches, color mixes, and studio scenes. All readers will find something that piques curiosity or provides insight: a page from Tomie dePaola's first picture book (1965); Jerry Pinkney's cowboy model and horse substitute; Paul Zelinsky's sequential panels depicting the Renaissance-inspired technique used for Rapunzel and his portrait. While there is some overlap with Pat Cummings's "Talking with Artists" series (S & S), there are no framing questions, so the illustrators ruminate freely. Sendak writes about finding "a space in the text so that the pictures can do the work." Sabuda (whose portrait is a pop-up) envisions a "dance across the page." Brief biographies and bibliographies conclude the title. A selective work, by nature, results in omissions, and there are some surprising absences. Yet, the end result is a gorgeous, browsable gallery of international treasures, with a behind-the-scenes tour led by the generous and gifted creators themselves.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The title says it all in this anthology of inspirational letters written by 23 contemporary children's-book illustrators to future artists. A multicultural group with amazingly diverse artistic styles, the featured illustrators are some of the best-known and celebrated in the genre, including Mitsumasa Anno, Quentin Blake, Nancy Ekholm Burkert, Eric Carle, Tomie de Paola, Steve Kellogg, Leo Lionni, Petra Mathers, Barry Moser, Jerry Pinkney, Alice Provensen, Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, Genady Spirin, Rosemary Wells and Paul O. Zelinksy. Their diversity shines in the text of their letters, in which they share childhood stories, sources of inspiration, views on art, details of how they work and advice on becoming an artist. Opposite each illustrator's letter, a nifty fold-out page presents a montage of "images, art, works-in-progress, photographs of studios and work spaces as well as each artist's wonderful self-portrait." Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart's collaborative self-portrait appropriately resides in one of their pop-ups. Fun to read and view, this anthology is a treasure trove of creative insight and inspiration. Perfect for libraries, art teachers, budding artists and fans of children's-book illustration. (note, biographies, selected bibliography of the artists) (Nonfiction. All ages) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
