The Extraordinary Book That Makes You an Artist
By Mary Richards, illustrated by Go Suga, Weldon Owen
This is an exciting project book for budding artists. Through the cut-out exercises on each page, children are introduced to different art techniques, movements, styles and artists, before having a go themselves. There’s everything from cubism, collage and self-portraiture, to mosaics, masks and stencils. The instructions are easy to follow and leave space for experimentation and interpretation, so that every child’s creations are individual.
Rory’s Room of Rectangles: A Story of Blended Families and Big Feelings
By Ian Eagleton, illustrated by Jessica Knight, Owlet Press
When the teacher asks the class to make a Father’s Day card, Rory doesn’t know whether to make one for his dad or his stepdad, Tony. He draws angry swishes on the card before ripping it up altogether. When Father’s Day arrives, Rory thinks of his dad and wonders if he’s lonely. Noticing Rory’s upset, Tony suggests the two of them visit the art gallery. Rory recognises his own emotions in the paintings they see, which helps him process his difficult feelings. And there’s a lovely surprise for Rory at the end. The story illustrates beautifully the power of art to help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
Art is Everywhere: The Ultimate Guide to Awesome Art in the World Around Us, and the Great People Making It
By Joe Haddow, illustrated by Ellie Hawes, UCLan Publishing
Joe Haddow invites us to see art in the broadest terms in this book – not just as painting and drawing and sculpting, but also writing, making music, dancing, telling jokes – anything you can conjure that has the power to change how people feel or take them to another place. Haddow looks at the lives and work of celebrated, boundary-pushing artists, and offers prompts for how you might start your own art, in whatever form that grabs you.
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Reviews by Alice Ellerby
We feature a range of book reviews for adults, teens and children in each issue of JUNO, published bi-monthly.
First published in Issue 85 of JUNO. Accurate at the time this issue went to print.
