Art in youngCanLit: Book List

It's been almost 350 years since the first public art exhibition took place. On April 9 in the year 1667,  members of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture contributed to a show at the Palais Royal in Paris.  Since then (and probably before), artwork has served civilization by, as Pablo Picasso acknowledged, "washing the dust of daily life off our souls." To that end, I offer up this book list of youngCanLit and films that relates to famous art and artists and making art.


Picture Books

Anna's Goat
by Janice Kukyk Keefer
Illustrated by Janet Wilson
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2000
World War II story of sculptor Anna Simon.

Art Room
by Susan Vande Griek
Illustrated by Pascal Milelli
Groundwood Books
24 pp.
Ages 4-9
2002
About the drawing and art classes artist Emily Carr held in her Art Room.

Art's Supplies
by Chris Tougas
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2008
Art supplies come to life for a boy named Art.

Augustine
by Mélanie Watt
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2006
A penguin is inspired by Picasso.

Canada Counts: A Charles Pachter Counting Book
by Charles Pachter
Dancing Cat Books
64 pp.
Ages 8+
2009
Numbers are displayed through Charles Pachter's art.

The Clay Ladies
by Michael Bedard
Illustrated by Les Tait
Tundra Books
40 pp.
1999, 2006
Story based loosely on lives of sculptors Frances Loring and Florence Wyle.

Emily Carr's Attic
by Diane Léger
Illustrated by Michael Léger
Orca Book Publishers
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2008
Story of a boy introduced to Emily Carr through her House of All Sorts.

Four Pictures by Emily Carr
by Nicolas Debon
Groundwood Books
40 pp.
Ages 9-12
2003
Graphic novel format about four of Emily Carr's important pieces of art.

Go Home Bay
by Susan Vande Griek
Illustrated by Pascal Milelli
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-9
2016
Based on the summer that artist Tom Thomson spent at Go Home Bay, Ontario.

Grant and Tillie Go Walking 
by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2015

Fictionalized account of modern artist Grant Wood.

I Wish I Could Draw
by Cary Fagan
Groundwood Books
32 pp.
Ages 6-10
2014

Cary Fagan encourages children to draw while self-deprecating his own efforts.

I'm Drawing a Picture
by Doretta Groenendyk
Acorn Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-10
2015
About finding inspiration for art.

Lumpito and the Painter from Spain
by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 5+
2012

Based on true story of Picasso and a dachshund who steals his heart.

The Master's Apprentice
by Rick Jacobson
Illustrated by Rick Jacobson and Laura Fernandez
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-8
2008
About a boy sent to apprentice with Michelangelo.

M is for Moose: A Charles Pachter Alphabet
by Charles Pachter
Dancing Cat Books
64 pp.
Ages 3-5
2008
An alphabet book illustrated with artwork of Canadian artist Charles Pachter.

The Mona Lisa Caper
by Rick Jacobson
Illustrated by Rick Jacobson and Laura Fernandez
Tundra
24 pp.
Ages 5-7
2005
Based on the theft of the famous painting in 1911.

Mr. Flux 
by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Matte Stephens
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages
2013
A tongue-in-cheek tale loosely inspired by the 1960s art movement known as Fluxus.

 

Mr. Gauguin's Heart
by Marie-Danielle Croteau
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Translated by Susan Ouriou
Tundra Books
24 pp.
Ages 7-10
2007
Based on true story of the inspiration for Paul Gauguin's first painting.

The Naked Lady
by Ian Wallace
Roaring Brook Press
32 pp.
Ages 7-10
2002
A young boy is inspired to become an artist from the sculptor who moves in next door.

The Paint Box
by Maxine Trottier
Illustrated by Stella East
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
32 pp.
Ages 6-11
2003
Story based on Renaissance artist Marietta Tintoretto.

Paris in the Spring with Picasso
by Joan Yolleck
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
Schwartz & Wade Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-13
2010
Story based on important 20th c. artists in Paris.

Picturescape
by Elisa Gutiérrez
Simply Read Books
32 pp.
Ages 5-11
2005
A visit to an art gallery takes a boy on a magical journey through the artwork of Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, J.E.MacDonald, David Blackwood, Alex Colville, Ivan Eyre, Lawrence Harris, E.J. Hughes, William Kurelek, J.P. Lemieux, Christopher Pratt, and Gaugnet.

A Prairie Boy's Summer
by William Kurelek
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
1975
Summer as seen through the artwork of William Kurelek.

A Prairie Boy's Winter
by William Kurelek
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 9+
1984
Winter depicted in the art pieces of William Kurelek.

The Sidewalk Rescue
by Hazel Hutchins
Illustrated by Ruth Ohi
Annick Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-9
2004
A sidewalk chalk drawing becomes a collaborative effort to help save the child drawn into it.

Virginia Wolf
by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by  Isabelle Arsenault
Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5-10
2012
Depicts how artist Vanessa Bell uses art to help her sister, writer Virginia Wolf, through a depressive episode.

When Emily Carr Met Woo
by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Pajama Press
32 pp.
Ages 5+
2014
Story of Emily Carr's friendship with a little monkey named Woo.





Fiction

Caravaggio, Signed in Blood
by Mark David Smith
Tradewind Books
152 pp.
Ages 11-15
2014

Discovering Emily
by Jacqueline Pearce
Orca Book Publishers
97 pp.
Ages 8-10
2004

Emily Carr's Woo
by Constance Horne
Illustrated by Lissa Calvert
Oolichan books
72 pp.
Ages 9-11
1995

The Emily Carr Mystery
by Eric Wilson
HarperCollins Canada
192 pp.
Ages 8-12
2002

Emily's Dream
by Jacqueline Pearce
Orca Book Publishers
120 pp.
Ages 9-11
2005

Jackal in the Garden: An Encounter with Bihzad
by Deborah Ellis 
Watson-Guptill Publications
182 pp.
Ages 15+
2006

The Lost Sketch (Adventure.Net #1)
by Andrea Spalding and David Spalding
Whitecap Books
101 pp.
Ages 8-10
1999

The Prisoners and the Paintings (The Salt & Pepper Chronicles, #5)
by David A. Poulsen
Key Porter Books
173 pp.
Ages 8-12
2008

Sketches
by Eric Walters
Puffin
288 pp.
Ages 14+
2007

Tom Thomson’s Last Paddle (A Dani and Caitlin Mystery)

by Larry McCloskey

Sandcastle Books/Beach Holme

159 pp.

Ages 9-12

2002

Under Emily's Sky
by Ann Alma
Beach Holme
90 pp.
Ages 9-12
1997

Non-Fiction

Arctic Adventures: Tales from the Lives of Inuit Artists

by Raquel Rivera
Illustrated by Jirina Marton

Groundwood Books

48 pp.

Ages 8-12
2007

Astonishing Women Artists (The Women's Hall of Fame Series)

by Heather Ball

Second Story Press

120 pp.

Ages 11+

2007

Breaking Free: The Story of William Kurelek
by May Ebbitt Cutler
Illustrated by William Kurelek
Tundra
32 pp.
Ages 10+
2002

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison
by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson
Pajama Press
40 pp.
All ages
2014

Canadian Artists

by Maxine Trottier

Illustrated by Tony Meers

Scholastic Canada

46 pp.

Ages 7-9

2009

Capturing Joy: The story of Maud Lewis

by Jo Ellen Bogart
Illustrated by Mark Lang

Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 8-12

2002

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose: The story of a painting

by Hugh Brewster
kids Can Press
48 pp.
Ages 9-12
2007

Fictionalized account of one of John Singer Sargent's most famous paintings

The Children of China:  An Artist's Journey
by Song Nan Zhang
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 8+
1995

Emily Carr: At the Edge of the World

by Jo Ellen Bogart
Illustrated by Maxwell Newhouse

Tundra Books
40 pp.
Ages 10+

2003

Emily Carr

by Rosemary Neering
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
200 pp.
Ages 9-12

2001

Emily Carr: Rebel Artist
by Kate Braid
XYZ Publishing
178 pp.
Ages 11+
2000

Images of nature: Canadian poets and the Group of Seven

by David Booth

Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 5+

1995

Inuksuk Journey: An Artist at the Top of the World

by Mary Wallace

Maple Tree Press

64 pp.

Ages 9+

2008

A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night: An Autobiography in Art

by Song Nan Zhang
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 8-12
1993

Meet the Group of Seven

by David Wistow and Kelly McKinley

The Art Gallery of Ontario

Kids Can Press

48 pp.

Ages 9-13

1999

Photographing Greatness: The Story of Karsh
by Lian Godall
Napoleon
96 pp.
Ages 11-14
2008

Picasso: Soul on Fire

by Rick Jacobson
Illustrated by Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobson
Tundra Books
32 pp.
Ages 10+
2004

Stones, Bones and Stitches:  Storytelling through Inuit Art
by Shelley Falconer and Shawna White
Tundra Books
48 pp.
Ages 11+
2007

William Blake: The Gates of Paradise

by Michael Bedard

Tundra
192 pp.
Ages 14+

2006

Film

Canvas of War: The Art of World War II
Directed by Michael Ostroff
Written by Seaton Findlay
Produced by Neil Bregman
Sound Venture Productions and the Canadian War Museum
46 min 48 sec
Ages 15+
2000

The Group of Seven...in Celebration
Directed by Allan Wargon
National Film Board of Canada
53 min 21 sec
1995
Compilation of short films about A. Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer and Frederick Varley

I Can Make Art ... Like Andrew Qappik
Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
11 min 24 sec
Ages 9-13
2005
Andrew Qappik, Inuit print maker

I Can Make Art ... Like Emily Carr
Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
10 min 44 sec
Ages 9-13
2005

I Can Make Art ... Like Kai Chan

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
11 min 24 sec
Ages 9-13

2005

Sculptor and textile artist Kai Chan

I Can Make Art ... Like Marcelle Ferron

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
10 min 43 sec
Ages 9-13

2005

Quebec-born painter and stained glass artist

I Can Make Art ... Like Maud Lewis

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
12 min 3 sec
Ages 9-13
2005

Nova Scotian folk artist Maud Lewis

I Can Make Art ... Like Ron Noganosh

Directed and written by Jane Churchill
National Film Board of Canada
15 min 43 sec
Ages 9-13
2005

Sculptor Ron Noganosh

Kurelek
Directed by William Pettigrew
Produced by Robert Verrall and Tom Daly
National Film Board of Canada
10 min 7 sec
1967
Painter William Kurelek

The Other Side of the Picture
Directed by Teresa MacInnes
Produced by Gillian Darling Kovanic
National Film Board of Canada
53 min
Ages 12+
1999
Women artists in Canada such as Mary Pratt, Joyce Weiland, Jane Ash Poitras and Landon Mackenzie

Taking a Chance on Love

Written by Mary Razzell
Ronsdale Press
978-1-55380-455-0
156 pp.
Ages 14+
February 2016

Taking a Chance on Love was still to become a jazz standard, having only been released a few years earlier in 1940, but it perfectly exemplies the summer of 1944 for seventeen-year-old Meg when boys and affairs of the heart seem to abound for her and everyone.

Though Meg is still quite innocent and naïve about her feelings towards boys, her best friend, Amy Miller, is anything but.  Amy is well aware of them, easily flirting with the wealthy Robert Pryce whose extramarital activities involve several married women, including Amy’s own mother, and setting her sights on any man who could give her a good life.  Meg notices a lot and sometimes knows enough to be wary but can’t always put the big picture together, unfortunately accused by Amy of being jealous  when she attempts to share those feelings.  With her own mother deeply entrenched in the staunch ideas of what being a woman entails i.e., not continuing one’s education but marrying instead, and her father and older brother Sam away at war, Meg has to navigate these treacherous waters as best she can.

From Doug Thompson, a soldier pen pal, to seventeen-year-old Glen Pryce, wealthy half-brother of Robert Pryce, and 22-year-old Bruce Hanson, the emotionally- and physically-scarred Navy son of her employer at Hanson’s Guest House, Meg has no shortage of young men who can help her learn how to handle how she feels.  Sadly, as with coming-of-age for all of us, Meg endures many sweet and bitter moments as she tries to uncover this.

It made me curious, excited, with strong, unexpected yearnings.  But I also felt uneasy, not really ready to know any more about this new world. (pg. 94)

Taking a Chance on Love may be rich in the landscape of 1940s British Columbia, with the war, TB, medical practices, the expectations for women, and the music and clothes, but it could be any teen girl’s story as she delves into first relationships with boys and tries to find herself while opening herself up to the possibilities of finding someone to love.  With some marriages falling apart and others forged because of war, Taking a Chance on Love takes place in a tenous and strengthening time.  It’s a time that is both sweet and enlightening, temporarilty transporting readers to an era when love wasn’t dependent on social media and digital technology but more on self-discovery and resolve.

I Art Books Exhibit and Sale of Children's Book Illustrations: Uxbridge, ON

Come celebrate Authors for Indies Day

and kick off an art exhibit and sale extraordinaire

with youngCanLit illustrators

Rebecca Bender

Suzanne Del Rizzo

Jan Dolby

Eugenie Fernandes

on

April 30, 2016

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Blue Heron Books

62 Brock St. W.

Uxbridge, ON

Take advantage of this unique show
to meet 4 extraordinary youngCanLit illustrators
and pick up a lovely piece of art (and perhaps a book or two)


Even if you can't make the April 30th show, 

the art exhibit is on 
from April 24, 2016 to May 15, 2016

See you there!

Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community: Book launches (Victoria, BC & Toronto, ON)

Join 

Robin Stevenson

award-winning author of over 20 books

for the launch of her first nonfiction book for young readers

Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community

Orca Book Publishers

9781459809932

120 pp.

Ages 9-13

For release April, 2016

on Monday, April 18th, 2016

from 7-9 p.m.

at

Cornerstone Café

1301 Gladstone Avenue

Victoria, BC

A portion of book sales will be donated to the Victoria LGBTQ Refugee Sponsorship Group


AND


on  Sunday, May 1, 2016

at 1 p.m.

at

Glad Day Bookshop
598 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON

Books will be available for sale. 

Check out the book trailer for details about Robin Stevenson's newest title:

Uploaded by Orca Book Publishers to YouTube 

on January 14, 2016.

Will to Survive: The Rule of 3, Book 3

by Eric Walters
Razorbill
978-0-670-06707-7
310 pp.
Ages 12+
January 2016

If you thought the darkness and powerlessness of Eric Walters’ first two books in his apocalyptic The Rule of 3 series (The Rule of Three, Razorbill, 2014; Fight for Power, Razorbill, 2015) were staggering, then Will to Survive will seem enervating.   But, as is said, it's always darkest before the dawn, and Eric Walters is nothing but hopeful in all his writing and definitely in Will to Survive.

The neighbourhood in which sixteen-year-old Adam Daley and his family, friends and others–about sixteen hundred individuals–have created in the aftermath of a power outage of epic proportions is establishing all the right stuff on which civilizations have been founded: government by committee, citizenship, security, food sharing, social welfare, medical care, etc.  But it's been a hard road, with tough decisions regarding security versus social responsibility, survival versus humanity, and life or death.

I know that our neighborhood was a small sliver of civilization in a land where civility had been lost.  Here we were surrounded by twenty-foot walls, protected by armed guards on all sides; we had food, shelter and a layer of order and fairness.  In here was safe.  Beyond was uncertain.  No, not uncertain–wild and dangerous and dog-eat-dog. (pg. 83-84)

Unfortunately that danger encroached on Adam’s feelings of safety at the conclusion of Fight for Power, and Will to Survive begins in the aftermath of Adam's killing of two men, in self-defense, after he was kidnapped by former ally Brett who'd joined with the bandits of the Division.  Even after the neighbourhood sends teams to destroy the compound of the Division, Adam is haunted by what he had to do and is plagued by Brett’s suggestion that he too has become a monster.

But Adam doesn’t have many opportunities to talk to counsellor Maureen about the trauma or spend more time with girlfriend Lori before the neighbourhood is hit by sniper fire that kills three guards.  Pinpointing the origin of the shots as the condo tower outside of the community, and concerned that Brett and his men are behind the attack, the neighbourhood committee, based on Adam’s suggestion, decide to extend the wall outward to engulf the condo community, offering them both services and training to keep them safer.

After more aerial reconnaissance that is both beneficial and terrifying in what they discover, the neighbourhood begins efforts to join with other communities, including one based at the island airport, one at an oil refinery and another at a hospital.

We can stop being a simple star and start to become a constellation of stars, the center of a series of connected neighborhoods. (pg. 110)

But you know sociopathic Brett is going to raise his evil head again and he does, targeting the neighbourhood physically and Adam psychologically, playing their compassion as a weakness.  Unfortunately for him, Brett doesn’t recognize that kindness can be very fortifying too.

Will to Survive is definitely an action-packed adventure, a highly plot-driven story, but the power of Eric Walters’ characters kept me most interested.  The astute strategist, Herb, is one of my favourites.  Knowing that the world might never get back to normal (“There is a very long end game here”; pg. 202), Herb lends his wise guidance to the neighbourhood and its new allies and mentors Adam in becoming a new leader.  His wealth of knowledge and astounding understanding of the human psyche makes Herb the ideal person to spearhead efforts in a crisis. But Herb is the real thing, not a superhero; he is a man with vulnerabilities, who can help make Adam realize what he himself has to offer.  Will to Survive is a coming-of-age story about Adam, just as it is for a post-apocalypse world that needs to recognize its weaknesses and play to its strengths in order for growth to happen.  Growing up can be scary but it can also be heartfelt and ultimately advancing.

Buddy and Earl Go Exploring

by Maureen Fergus

Illustrated by Carey Sookocheff

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-714-6

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

March, 2016

Buddy the dog and Earl the hedgehog from Buddy and Earl (Groundwood Books, 2015) are back and this time the fast friends are on the move.  Okay, they stay in the house but there’s so much to explore in their home, especially when everyone is asleep. And it all starts with Earl declaring a simple “Bon voyage” when they should be settling down to sleep.

Earl is essentially a Zen-kind of traveller, going “Wherever the road leads me” and “However long it takes” (pg. 8), but he’s surprised when his fast and furious running leads him nowhere, having never left the wheel in his cage.  Everything changes when somehow Earl gets Buddy to go exploring with him.

Everything is new and, in the imaginative mind of the little hedgehog, something to be investigated.  Their first stop is “a silvery lake in the shadow of a great mountain” (pg. 15) a.k.a. Buddy’s water bowl and the garbage pail, where Earl enjoys a lazy soak while Buddy discovers some tasty leftovers in the can he upturned.  But spotting a hairbrush in Mom’s purse, Earl sees a lady hedgehog in the jaws of a monster and enlists Buddy’s largesse to save his sweetie from being devoured. Reciprocating, because that’s what friends do, Earl stands up to a monster of Buddy’s world, the vacuum cleaner.

With declarations of friendship and heroism, the two finally settle down amidst the mayhem of their night’s exploration with a resounding “Bon soir.”

Maureen Fergus again offers up the unlikely friends as a story of contrasts: the little hedgehog with the massive imagination and courage to see outside his box, and the tall dog with the staid attitude of familiarity who understands more about the real world and still goes along with his prickly friend.  Buddy and Earl Go Exploring is  a sweet tale of travels to new worlds without ever leaving home.  The simplicity of their friendship and endeavours are balanced with the unfussy illustrations of Carey Sookocheff who also provided the artwork for Buddy and Earl.  Carey Sookocheff has created the ideal representations of the two animals in their physical appearances and their manners–petite and large, bold and cautious–and completed Maureen Fergus’ textual characters in such a way that the two will always be recognizable.  There’s Stella and Sam, Max and Ruby, and Frog and Toad, and now there’s Buddy and Earl.

From Buddy and Earl Go Exploring

by Maureen Fergus, illus. by Carey Sookocheff (pg. 30)

Nota Bene: More adventures to come, starting with Buddy and Earl and the Great Big Baby in August, 2016.

Mission Mumbai: A Novel of Sacred Cows, Snakes, and Stolen Toilets

by Mahtab Narsimhan

Scholastic Press

978-0-545-74651-9

272 pp.

Ages 9-12

March 2016

Reviewed from advance reading copy

Dylan Moore, 12, has gone a long way to get away from the worries of his parents’ impending breakup in New York City after finagling an invitation to go to India for three weeks with best friend, Rohit Lal.  For Dylan, it’s all about the adventure, the new experiences, especially the food, and taking photographs, determined to win a National Geographic contest and show his dad that his hobby is a worthwhile endeavour.  Problem is that Rohit isn’t that keen on going back to India, having accustomed himself to the amenities of life in New York City, and his displeasure is evident in every interaction he has, most notably with his mother and his Bua (father’s sister) whom Dylan dubs Boa for her venomous attitude.  Sadly Rohit’s rudeness has Boa deciding that, since she has financed the family’s stay in the U.S. including Rohit’s schooling, Rohit needs some discipline and will remain to go to school in Mumbai.

Even with the boys’ worries, everything is thrilling, flavourful and photogenic for Dylan.

My life in New York was so predictable, and this was so exciting! It was almost like starring in my own Bollywood adventure. (pg. 28)

But Dylan is trying to balance being a good guest and being a supportive friend, while navigating a culture with which he is totally unfamiliar.   Not surprising, Dylan gets himself into quite a few scraps, not including a scandalous shooing of a sacred cow, a swim in sewage-polluted water, a bladder-stressed train ride, and getting them banned from a restaurant.  And Rohit, desperate for his mother to take him back to NYC asap, resents Dylan’s wanting to stay on and takes advantage of Dylan’s ignorance time and time again.

It’s adventure after adventure for the two boys, as they bicker their way through their holiday in India, each resenting their own family dynamics and envious of the other’s, not realizing how much they both have.  Their friendship is so honest and complex and simple and real that every reader will understand the ups and downs of it, all against the unique backdrop that is India.  Mahtab Narsimhan has demonstrated her ability to capture the essence of other cultures in multi-layered plots in her previous books which include the 2009 Silver Birch Fiction award-winning The Third Eye (Dundurn, 2007) and The Tiffin (Dancing Cat Books, 2011), reviewed here, but Mission Mumbai takes her writing into more humourous realms.  Think of the lightness of Gordon Korman’s books with the flavours of Rohinton Mistry for middle-grade readers.  It’s a dazzling combination of characters, atmosphere, plot and humour.

Kerosene lamps smoked, a temple bell at a roadside shrine tinkled, and the air was thick with smells–some good, some gross.  Rohit swore softly under his breath as the cab inched forward.  After being in the air-conditioned flat, the heat was borderline torture.  It was like being in a malfunctioning steam room with the temperature stuck on “cook”.  My face was burning witht the heat and probably beet red. (pg. 48)

Whether a young reader is like Dylan, new to Indian culture, or Rohit, for whom the culture is familiar, Mission Mumbai will engage, enthrall and entertain.  And I haven’t even mentioned the monsoon, the wedding, the fire at the theatre, the wise old woman who gives them shelter, the heat, the scooties, and the glorious food!  So much to delve into and it’s all sweet and savoury and spicy and wholesome.