The Art of Reading celebrates children’s book art, the illustrators of children’s books, and the impact of favorite childhood books on 40 top illustrators. It was created to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). The Art of Reading is fascinating, a welcome treat for older children, teens, and adults who love children's books. Parents and children will enjoy experiencing The Art of Reading together and discussing their favorite children’s books and illustrators.
The Art of Reading: An Overview
As Carol H. Rusco, President and CEO of RIF, states in the book’s introduction, “Each of the forty illustrators represented here was asked to re-imagine a favorite book from their own childhood that propelled them along their life path of reading, writing, and creating.” The list of participants is impressive and includes: Mary Azarian, Bryan Collier, David Diaz, Douglas Florian, Kevin Hawkes, Steven Kellogg, Jerry Pinkney, Patricia Polacco, Chris Raschka, David Wiesner, Peter Sis, and Susan Jeffers.There is a two-page spread for each illustrator. It includes a full-page illustration that represents the illustrator’s interpretation of a scene from a favorite children’s book, a photograph of the illustrator, a photograph of the original cover of the favorite book, and an essay by the illustrator about the impact of the book.
The Art of Reading: Artist Favorites
Ashley Wolff’s illustration of the kitchen scene in Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey re-imagines the 1940s kitchen as “a city kitchen with all the modern conveniences of today.” Both Diane Cain Bluthenthal and Henry Cole write with fondness about E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web and the illustrations by Garth Williams.In view of all of the controversy about Little Black Sambo, I was intrigued to learn that it was Jerry Pinkney’s favorite book. As the award-winning artist explains,
- . . . of all the books in our house, there was only one with a child of color. It became my favorite – Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman – a story about a boy of color who exhibited courage and wit. . . . I revisited Little Black Sambo more than fifty years later, when I illustrated a retelling in collaboration with author Julius Lester.
- . . . I wanted to be just like Horton, and as it turns out, being an author-illustrator is all about transforming the ordinary into the unusual and creating new worlds and universes that never existed before. And, of course, never . . . ever . . . giving up on even the most improbable idea!
More About The Art of Reading
The book's introduction provides information about Reading Is Fundamental and how the book came to be developed in honor of RIF's fortieth anniversary. There is also a foreword by Leonard S. Marcus, children's book historian, writer, and critic. At the end of The Art of Reading, you’ll find a three-page section with brief biographical information about each of the forty illustrators. There are two indexes: one by the illustrator’s name, one by the children’s book title.The Art of Reading: A Delightful Book
I could go on and on. This is a delightful book. It’s exciting to hear, in the artists’ own words, about the impact of favorite children’s books on their lives and to see the artwork they produced as a tribute. This 90+ page book is good-sized and well-designed, with sturdy slick pages and wonderful illustrations. It’s a book to leave out on the coffee table for the whole family to enjoy.
