Art and artists

My Name is Arnaktauyok: The Life and Art of Germaine Arnaktauyok

Featuring nearly 100 full-color reproductions of Germaine Arnaktauyok’s most important works from throughout her career, this book provides an in-depth look at one of the Canadian North’s most prolific and recognizable artists.

Amina

Amina lives on the edges of Mogadishu. Her family’s house has been damaged in Somalia’s long civil war, but they continue to live there, reluctant to leave their home. Amina’s world is shattered when government forces come to arrest her father because his art has been officially censored, deemed too political. Then rebel forces kidnap Amina’s brother, forcing him to become a soldier in Somalia’s brutal ongoing war. Although her mother and grandmother are still with her, Amina feels vulnerable and abandoned. Secretly, she begins to create her own artwork in the streets and the derelict buildings to give herself a sense of hope and to let out the burden of her heart.

The Wonder

Throughout the morning, his daydreams transform the world around him. Unfortunately, lots of other people—the bus driver, the crossing guard, and his teachers—all tell him to get his head out of the clouds. It is only in art class that he realizes he can bring the wonder out of his head for the whole world to enjoy.

Join the discussion of The Wonder as well as other books centered around relocation on our My Take/Your Take page.

Fireflies In The Dark: The Story Of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis And The Children Of Terezin

Covers the years during which Friedl Dicker, a Jewish woman from Czechoslovakia, taught art to children at the Terezin Concentration Camp. Includes art created by teacher and students, excerpts from diaries, and interviews with camp survivors.

Benito

A Mexican boy who wants to be an artist goes to live with an uncle who makes him work in the fields all day and board in the barn at night. In spite of the severe treatment and with the encouragement of a village artist, the boy creates a place for himself as an artist and an individual.

Viva Frida!

Frida Kahlo, one of the world’s most famous and unusual artists is revered around the world. Her life was filled with laughter, love, and tragedy, all of which influenced what she painted on her canvases.

Join the discussion of Viva Frida! as well as other Caldecott honored books on our My Take/Your Take page.

Stone Giant

Michelangelo saw something–someone–special in the stone. No one wanted the “giant.” The hulking block of marble lay in the work yard, rained on, hacked at, and abandoned—until a young Michelangelo saw his David in it. This is the story of how a neglected, discarded stone became a masterpiece for all time. It is also a story of how humans see themselves reflected in art.

The Noisy Paint Box

Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers—like a proper artist.

Join the discussion of The Noisy Paint Box as well as other Caldecott honored books on our My Take/Your Take page.