Art workshops for children

Tullet has delighted children for years now with such effervescent picture books as Press Here (2011), and in this volume, ostensibly aimed at art instructors, he offers a guide to running workshops that encourage playful creativity and uninhibited artistic expression. Each workshop ­composed of a script, instructions, materials list, and possible variations ­encourages bright colors, big movements, and vague but easy-to-follow directions. A field of flowers emerges when children make dots, circles, and splotches while swapping places around a giant piece of paper. Other workshops invite children to reimagine portraits by using symbols to represent character traits, or jumble up letters with other shapes and splatters. Tullet's infectious enthusiasm is evident in the scripts, but smaller explanations reveal the clever, understated lessons in each activity. An endearing album featuring photos of paint-smeared children happily displaying the fruits of their labor closes the volume. While teachers seem to be the foremost intended audience, any kid with a roll of paper and a pot of poster paint will be inspired by Tullet's ideas.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist