Emily's Art

by Peter Catalanotto, Peter Catalanotto (Illustrator)

Overview

"What a gorgeous painting," exclaimed the judge of Ms. Fair's first-grade art contest. "What a beautiful rabbit!"

For Emily, the words are a shock.

Her painting is of her dog, Thor. Not a rabbit.

But instead of thinking: What's wrong with this judge? Emily takes the words, and the judgment, to heart.

Just as she takes her art.

Not everyone, not Ms. Fair, or even Emily's best friend, Kelly, can see that.

At first.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416926887
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	12/26/2006
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Peter Catalanotto has written seventeen books for children, including Monkey & Robot, More of Monkey & Robot, The Newbies, Question Boy Meets Little Miss Know-It-All, Ivan the Terrier, Matthew A.B.C., and Emily’s Art, of which School Library Journal said in a starred review, “whether viewed from afar or up close, this creative and heartfelt book is a masterpiece.” In 2008, First Lady Laura Bush commissioned Peter to illustrate the White House holiday brochure. He currently teaches the first children’s book writing course offered by both Columbia University and Pratt Institute. Peter has illustrated more than thirty books for other writers including George Ella Lyon, Cynthia Rylant, Mary Pope Osborne, Joanne Ryder, Robert Burleigh, and Megan McDonald.

Peter Catalanotto has written seventeen books for children, including Monkey & Robot, More of Monkey & Robot, The Newbies, Question Boy Meets Little Miss Know-It-All, Ivan the Terrier, Matthew A.B.C., and Emily’s Art, of which School Library Journal said in a starred review, “whether viewed from afar or up close, this creative and heartfelt book is a masterpiece.” In 2008, First Lady Laura Bush commissioned Peter to illustrate the White House holiday brochure. He currently teaches the first children’s book writing course offered by both Columbia University and Pratt Institute. Peter has illustrated more than thirty books for other writers including George Ella Lyon, Cynthia Rylant, Mary Pope Osborne, Joanne Ryder, Robert Burleigh, and Megan McDonald.

Editorial Reviews

"Catalanotto subtly conveys the value of creating art for art's sake in this tender picture book about a first grade art contest," PW said. "Aspiring Picassos everywhere will find much to contemplate and cheer about here." Ages 5-8. (Dec.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 3-As with all inspired artists, Emily's paintings reflect her unique perceptions. The child paints her beloved teacher with golden wings and her dog with exceptionally large ears, "Because Thor hears everything." The story, however, really begins before the title page with a provocative classroom discussion of the upcoming art contest-and the process of singling out an entry as the best. When the judge dismisses Emily's picture of Thor (because she was once bitten by a dog) in favor of a butterfly painted by Emily's best friend (under her tutelage), the child's pain is palpable. Throughout the book, Catalanotto voices the concerns and reactions of children quite convincingly. Like his protagonist, he conveys a heightened reality in his watercolor, gouache, and acrylic spreads. His backgrounds resemble the richness of Rothko canvases (albeit with more light); this choice simultaneously focuses more attention on the children in the foreground and subtly supports the central theme regarding the qualities of "fine" art. Insets allow for sequential messages and multiple perspectives. Many of the illustrations superimpose images on silhouettes or transparent figures on visible backgrounds, pulling readers into the character's interior world. Whether viewed from afar or up close, this creative and heartfelt book is a masterpiece.-Wendy Lukehart, Harrisburg School District, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Catalanotto (Dad and Me, 1999, etc.) sets his stage almost like a little movie: there's a prologue, a progression, a denouement, and a coda, all in the standard picture book's 32 pages. The watercolor, gouache, and acrylic paintings shimmer in bold colors and strong shapes, echoing the text themes. It's a heavily didactic story with a straw villain, but it gets at an honest truth. Ms. Fair asks her class if they know what a contest is and what a judge is. The class bickers over what judges do ("puts bad people in jail," says one), and Ms. Fair explains that in the art contest, the judge will decide who the winner is. Emily loves to paint, and she does so inventively: she paints four mommies in her breakfast scene, because her mom is "very busy in the morning" and angel wings on her picture of Ms. Fair "because she's so nice." She enters her painting of her dog Thor in the contest, painted with big ears because "Thor hears everything" and helps her best friend Kelly with the colors on her butterfly. When the judge arrives, she mistakes Thor for a rabbit; when told it's a dog, she chooses Kelly's butterfly instead because she hates dogs. Emily vows never to paint again, and her misery-filled, random thoughts will resonate with any child whose work has been misunderstood. While the text is heavy-handed, Catalanotto's art brilliantly portrays not only the lively classroom, but also Emily's own art and the art of her classmates, what she's thinking, and how she resolves the situation for herself. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews