A Few Bites

TITLE:  A Few Bites
AUTHOR:  Cybele Young
ILLUSTRATOR: 
PUBLISHER: Groundwood Books
COPYRIGHT: 2012

It is lunch time, but Ferdie wants to continue looking for a part of his fighter ship.  His sister Viola says she will help him after he eats.  When he comes to the table he finds broccoli, carrots, and ravioli.  He doesn't want to eat any of it!  Viola imaginatively comes up with stories about dinosaurs and aliens to get Ferdie to take a few bites. 

This is a creative book.  The illustrations start black and white and then are colored illustrations to go with Viola's stories are added.  I am not sure that young children would enjoy the illustrations really.  I would think it would be appropriate for 2nd/3rd grade students.  It is AR level 3.3

Polka Dot Penguin Pottery

TITLE:  Polka Dot Penguin Pottery
AUTHOR:  Lenore Look
ILLUSTRATOR: Yumi Heo
PUBLISHER: Schwartz & Wade Books
COPYRIGHT: 2011

Aspen Colorado Kim Chee Lee likes to write stories in her tree house.  She has realized lately she does not have much to write.  Her grandparents think a trip to the Polka Dot Penguin Pottery shop is just what she needs to help her creativity. She isn't sure at first how to start but then is able to create a colorful egg.

I really enjoyed this book.  It caught my eye sitting on the library shelf because it opens from top to bottom instead of left/right like the majority of books.  It has a wonderful story line and the illustrations done with mixed media are creative. 

Crafts from Modeling Clay

TITLE:  Crafts from Modeling Clay
AUTHOR:  Huguette Kirby
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER: Bridgestone Books
COPYRIGHT:  2003

If you have a child interested in learning about making things with clay, this would be a beneficial resource.  It starts with some vocabulary words and pictures of tips for using modeling clay and tools you will need to make the projects in the book.  Then it has directions and photos for several clay projects.  Some of these are a treasure box, caterpillar, beads, and flower frames.
 
I thought this book was great.  The photograph illustrations that went along with the steps for the pieces were easy to understand.  This would be a nice addition to a school library.

An ABC of What Art Can Be

TITLE: An A B C of What Art Can Be
AUTHOR: Meher McArthur
ILLUSTRATOR: Esther Pearl Watson
PUBLISHER: J. Paul Getty Museum
COPYRIGHT: 2010

This ABC book is unique in its design as it is shorter in height than most books, which is one of the things that caught my attention. It goes through the alphabet naming a different art related word for each letter. Some of these include frame, landscape, prints, and vanishing point. The illustrations are great because they illustrate the concept of the words being described.

My son and I enjoyed reading this book and learning some new words together.

A Book About Color

TITLE: A Book About Color
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Mark Gonyea
PUBLISHER: Henry Holt and Company
COPYRIGHT: 2010

This is a nice book with brightly colored illustrations to introduce a young child to color. Things discussed are primary and secondary colors as well as complementary colors.

This would be a good book for a school or classroom library.

1 2 3 I Can Build!

TITLE: 1 2 3 I Can Build!
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Irene Luxbacher
PUBLISHER: Kids Can Press Ltd.
COPYRIGHT: 2009

I was intrigued by the cover of this book and was not disappointed when I read it with my son. This book shows the features needed to create a building. Various building words are defined (foundation, interior, exterior, structure, function, tower, etc.) and then demonstrated using a craft your child can make. At the end all the techniques are used to create one large palace. I loved the photos and also that the materials used in the crafts were common household items.

My son and I enjoyed this book and found some fun ideas to try ourselves.