english
5 years & up
Artists
Historical Figures
Melanie LaBarge & Caroline Corrigan
summary
I LOVE this book! Not only is it beautiful, but it’s completely accessible for the typical picture book crowd, and takes a creative spin on alphabet books. Rather than pairing the artist’s name with a specific letter of the alphabet, the author has connected an aspect or theme the art.
Y is for Yarn, and we learn about artist Xenobia Bailey; H is for Horse and I read about Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, who often includes horses in her art. Have you ever heard of Louise Bourgeois? She makes giant spider statues, which I’m particularly enamored with (because Spooky is a lifestyle, ok?? Not a season.) because some of them are giant and some are teensy.
The majority of artists covered in this book are women of color, which I was delighted to see and learned about a bunch of rad people I had never heard of. The pages have just a paragraph about the artist, and is easily digestible and accessible for young readers and listeners. I can see this being used in a classroom in a variety of educational contexts, and it would be really fun to learn about one of these artists a week and look at pictures of their art, or take a virtual museum tour.
All in all, you definitely need a copy of this book! It was kindly sent by Penguin Kids, but all opinions and decision to review are my own.
Melanie LaBarge
Melanie is a writer, editor, organizer, and consultant who has been working in upstate New York for the past two decades.
Her holistic approach + visionary aesthetic inform her work across many mediums.
Her years of experience in gender theory provide the additional lens she brings to every project.
Caroline Corrigan
Caroline Corrigan is an illustrator, graphic designer and mother of three. She lives and works in upstate New York. Her first picture book, Women Artists A-Z, written by Melanie LaBarge was released in February 2020 on Dial Books/Penguin Random House. Follow along on Instagram for work and life updates!