by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell Illustrated by Rafael López 5 stars Absolutely gorgeous. A spectacular picture books inspired by the real-life Urban Art Trail in San Diego. An art-loving child does her best to bring color to her neighbors by sharing her art. But it isn’t until she teams up with a muralist…
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Illustrated by Lena Anderson Translated by Joan Sandin 3 stars A nice way for young readers to learn about Monet and his artwork through a fictionalized account of Linnea who travels to Paris with her neighbor, Mr. Bloom, to visit Monet’s home and garden. An interesting blend of nonfiction and fictional elements. It covers information…
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by Dave Scheidt Illustrated by Alex Arizmendi 5 stars A fascinating story with eerie elements and unsettling moments. Andi loves all things horror-related. So when she lands a job at the local theater where she can watch all the horror films she wants, it’s a dream come true. Then strange things begin happening around the…
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by Kate Allan 4 stars Another beautiful collection of artwork featuring magical, adorable animals and positive affirmations. Throughout the book, Allan writes to her younger self, offering wisdom, words of encouragement, and recognition that things will be hard but it will all be okay. I absolutely adore the artwork. Beautiful depictions of animals and creatures…
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Illustrated by Tara Anand 5 stars Fantastically written. Shreya loves painting. She feels special when her art teacher praises her work. Mr. Rao even asks Shreya to come to the art room for him to paint her. But then something happens. Shreya feels different. She doesn’t want to be praised anymore. She doesn’t want to…
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Story by Adrienne Kress Illustrated by Alex Arizmendi Adapted by Christopher Hastings 4 stars Delightfully creepy. When Buddy gets a job in the animation department at Joey Drew Studios, he thinks all his dreams have come true. But there’s something weird going on at the company. Joey Drew is hiding something. There’s rumors of a…
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by Jacci Gresham with Sherry Fellores Illustrated by David Wilkerson 3 stars Join Jacci Gresham, the first known Black woman tattoo artist in America, as she shares her story of following her passions, connecting to her community, and daring to try new things. A nice story that follows Gresham’s childhood, education, discovery of tattooing, opening…
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5 stars A stunning book both for its lyrical exploration of human history and for its magnificent visuals. The book flows through the history of humanity, touching on human’s development of language, art, music, dance, inventions, exploration, medicine, and more. The backmatter contains more information on the history presented on each page, pairing the topics…
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Illustrated by Ellen Weinstein 3 stars A nice, kid-friendly introduction to Yayoi Kusama’s life and art that gives some basic information about her childhood in Japan, life in New York, and struggle to get her work recognized. Great illustrations. Despite the length, there isn’t a ton of detail about Kasama’s life. The information presented is…
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Illustrated by Alexandra Badiu 3 stars An early reader introduction to the life and work of Yayoi Kusama. The book goes through Kusama’s childhood in Matsumoto, her experience with hallucinations, living in the United States, interactions with other well-known artists, and her impact as an artist, including her various types of work and exhibitions. I…
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