The Art Lesson

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The Art Lesson

eBook(NOOK Kids Read to Me)

$6.99

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eBook(NOOK Kids Read to Me)
$6.99

View All Available Formats & Editions

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Overview

Having learned to be creative in drawing pictures at home, young Tommy is dismayed when he goes to school and finds the art lesson there much more regimented.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101654521
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/19/1997
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Best known for his award-winning picture book Strega Nona and for the 26 Fairmount Avenue series of chapter books, Tomie dePaola is one of the most prolific and beloved author/illustrators in the field of children's literature.

Hometown:

Connecticut and New Hampshire

Date of Birth:

September 15, 1935

Place of Birth:

Meriden, CT

Website:

http://www.tomie.com/main.html

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"DePaola's well-honed, color drenched artwork...is warmly appealing; a deceptively simple approach underscored by pure craft". — Booklist, starred review

"The perennial conflict between Individual and Authority, or between Artist and Society, lies beneath this anecdote, and it's gratifying to see the small non-conformist accommodated. Everyone can enjoy dePaola's gentle autobiographical evocation of a loving family and a happy obsession". — School Library Journal

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

A boy named Tommy loves to draw with his Binney & Smith Crayola crayons, and these pictures hang on his side of the room, in his mother's kitchen, at the barber shop where his father works, in the store of his Irish grandparents and in the home of his Italian grandmother Nana. Tommy? Nana? This work of picture-book fiction is really a gem of an autobiography, and readers familiar with dePaola's work will find wonderful, well-placed clues to his lifetime of artistry among these pages. Tommy starts school, and can't wait for the day when the art teacher comes. But there are a couple of hitches: the paints at school are cracked and powdery (and blow ``right off the paper''), and the art teacher only lets the children have one piece of paper, on which to ``copy'' her drawings. Tommy, who has been told by his aunts (twins, who are artists) that real artists never copy, has a crisis. But his teachers (including Tommy's regular classroom teacher) show themselves to be far more understanding than readers could have predicted, and all ends well. Inventive and revealing, dePaola provides a lyrical blend of text and art. This is an inspired and childlike offering, perhaps one of dePaola's best. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this charming story, young Tommy wants to become an artist when he grows up. After learning about his weekly art lessons in first grade, he becomes very excited. This excitement turns to dismay when he realizes that he must follow strict rules in art class. After recognizing his special artistic talents, his teacher offers a compromise that allows Tommy to continue working toward his dream. DePaola's bright illustrations perfectly complement this inspirational tale.

Children's Literature - Debra Briatico

K-Gr 2-- Tommy loves to draw. He draws happily through kindergarten, heeding the advice of his big cousins in art school: don't copy, and practice a lot. His admiring family provides appreciation and support, and a box of 64 crayons. School is a let-down: eight-color school crayons, paint that cracks and flakes, one sheet of paper apiece. Then the long-awaited art teacher comes. What a shock: she asks the class to copy her as she draws! Tommy refuses. A compromise is reached: Tommy copies the prescribed drawing and gets another piece of paper for his own picture. The perennial conflict between Individual and Authority, or between Artist and Society, lies behind this anecdote, and it's gratifying to see the small non-conformist accomodated. Everyone can enjoy dePaola's gentle autobiographical evocation of a loving family and a happy obsession. But most kids like to copy, and copying is essential to the discipline of learning. All great artists did it. DePaola's own style is eminently copyable, and this entertaining book shouldn't discourage young artists from drawing a few dePaolas on their way to copying Rubens. --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle

School Library Journal

"DePaola's well-honed, color drenched artwork...is warmly appealing; a deceptively simple approach underscored by pure craft". — Booklist, starred review"The perennial conflict between Individual and Authority, or between Artist and Society, lies beneath this anecdote, and it's gratifying to see the small non-conformist accommodated. Everyone can enjoy dePaola's gentle autobiographical evocation of a loving family and a happy obsession". — School Library Journal

From the Publisher