Duck at the Door

In Duck at the Door, a curious duck named Max decides not to migrate, but to stay and experience the season of winter and quickly regrets this decision. Emmy had her first real experience with winter this past Christmas when we spent the holiday in Denver, Colorado. Unlike Duck, she absolutely loved the cold and snow! I enjoyed watching her explore and especially loved the look of absolute joy on her face.Ms. Urbanovic began drawing characters and telling stories before she could read. In her family, the art of telling a good story---especially a humorous one-- was highly prized. As you can see in the illustration above, Jackie's illustrations are full of warmth and personality.

Duck at the Door is the first book in the series by Ms. Urbanovic. The other two, Duck Soup and Duck and Cover, are just as delightful as the first. All are filled with humor and whimsy.


Reading books with subtle humor is something that I am really beginning to enjoy with Emmy. She is just starting to understand these bits of humor. Her comment is almost always, "Why?" which I most often do not have an answer to, but I try.

Two of Jackie's books, Duck at the Door and Duck Soup, are being featured in the Kohl's Cares for Kids program for just $5.00 each. 100% of the profits goes to support children's health and education initiatives. They are also featuring the cutest plush duck! What a great way to add to your home library.

Happy Quacking - I mean - Reading!

Charley Harper

Anyone following familiar with Charley Harper? If not, then you are in for a real treat. I first came across his work last summer while browsing through a local boutique. I certainly wasn't there to look at books, in fact I was hoping to find a cute pair of shoes for Emmy, but instead I noticed an interesting book cover that stopped me in my tracks. I took the book, Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life, to a corner of the shop and sat admiring the illustrations for the better part of an hour. WHOA! I was so impressed with this Harper man and delighted that Todd Oldham had taken the time to honor this man's work in a beautiful coffee table book. As much as I wanted to take this book home with me, I had to leave it behind due to the price tag of $150.00 (one day this book will be mine). When I returned home, I researched Charley Harper and found out that he is a much admired artist in the world of modern art and design. He is called an American original and is beloved for his delightful, graphic, and often humorous illustrations of nature, animals (especially birds), and insects. His inspiration came from the woods behind his home where he would walk and sketch daily. Mr. Harper liked to say that when he painted a bird, he didn't count all the feathers in the wings -- he just counted the wings. In a style he called "minimal realism," Charley Harper captured the essence of his subjects with the fewest possible visual elements.

Here is a glimpse into the world of Charley Harper:




I was also pleased to find out that his artwork was available in a board book for children. SCORE! ABC's by Charley Harper was quickly added to Emmy's book collection. (I wonder when Emmy will realize that this is really her Mommy's collection!) Now I could admire his work every day while introducing a new artist to Emmy. As with all of our books, this one was out of circulation for awhile, but it found its way back in when we discovered a bird's nest outside of our balcony. The nest reminded Emmy of the book and we eagerly looked for the pages B is for bird and N is for nest - simply delightful.

Of course I am on a mission to collect all of Charley's work and maybe acquire his best known children's book The Golden Book of Biology published in 1961 - vintage and pricey, perhaps I'd better hope that it will be reissued one day!

A few more books by Charley Harper:

ABC's II Skinny Edition








123's








Birds and Words









Beguiled by the Wild

The Dot

One of my wishes for children is for them to be surrounded by an endless supply of art materials with which to create an endless amount of art to be shared and conversed about all over the world. Isn't it Pablo Picasso who said something along the lines of it takes a lifetime to paint like a child. I agree. As adults we tend to focus on form rather than process where a child is all about process and not form. As a parent, I am trying to remove myself from my daughter's art. I am not showing her how to, but rather working along side of her. My biggest pet peeve is coloring books. Why present a finished form for a child to color in when a blank piece of paper allows for so much more creativity. Emmy has a wonderful sketch book that she fills with lines and circles in all the colors of the rainbow. It's one of our favorite "books" to look at.

A wonderful book to help a child (or an adult) with understanding that we all have the ability to create something wonderful is The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. When a young girl is hesitant to draw, her teacher says, "Just make a mark and see where it takes you." And when the girl makes an angry dot, the teacher responds, "Now sign it." This very wise teacher takes this picture, frames it beautifully and hangs it in a prominent place in the classroom. Upon seeing her art hung, this budding artist is inspired to create even greater pictures filled with dots. This book is such a treat. When the end comes, you just want to hug it. The author sends a very important message to young and old alike - be brave about expressing yourself!

I believe I've mentioned in an earlier post about how I like to share a bit about the author or illustrator with Emmy. Well I found out that Reynolds was a reluctant reader but an incessant doodler as a child. The word "doodler" just cracks Emmy up. She likes to pretend that she is doodling when she gets out her art materials. How do I explain to her that she is not pretending, but truly doodling?

This is what Peter H. Reynolds has to say about art and children:

"I often visit classrooms and ask who loves to draw," he says. "In kindergarten and first grade, all the hands go up. In second grade, most of the hands go up. In third grade, half the hands are up. By fourth and fifth grade, most of the hands are down, or perhaps pointing to ‘the class artist.’ It’s sad to see the artistic, creative energy slowing down, being packed away. I am convinced it’s because children learn early that there are ‘rules’ to follow. But when it comes to expressing yourself, you can invent your own rules. You can change them, you can stretch them, or you can ignore them all and dive headfirst into the unknown."

I hope that this inspires all of my followers to go out and buy a sketchbook and start doodling!

"All children are artists. The problem is how to
remain an artist once he grows up."
Pablo Picasso