Artist to Artist

A. Bibliographic Data:

Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art, by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, published by Philomel Books in 2007; ISBN: 0399246002

B. Plot Summary:

Artist to Artist gives 23 children's book illustrators an opportunity to tell children the stories about how they became artists. Contributors, including Leo Lionni, Maurice Sendak, Jane Dyer, Tomie dePaola, Jerry Pinkney, Chris Van Allsburg, and of course Eric Carle himself, each include a letter to share tales about people who inspired and encouraged them throughout their journey to becoming illustrators. They also demonstrate the process of creating their illustrations, showing sketches along with their final products and samples of their early work, some from when the artists were as young as 5 or 6 years old. Each artist also includes a self portrait, giving readers a look at the person behind the creations.

C. Critical Analysis:

Although this book is enjoyable and informative, some of the artists do a much better job than others at writing in words that would be clear to children. The format of the book keeps readers interested and gives them a taste of the work that goes into creating illustrations. It is also fun for children to see the people who create their favorite pictures. Although the book is listed as at a reading level for ages 4 to 8, several of the contributions seem like they would be difficult for children that young to read on their own. However, families could have a wonderful time exploring the book together. Parents would be able to learn about some of their own favorites while showing their children the process of illustrating a book. Each contributor brings his or her own style to the compilation, showing the diversity of the field and reassuring children that they can do things their own ways.

D. Review Excerpts:

~ "...a gorgeous, browsable gallery of international treasures." - School Library Journal

~ "Fun to read and view, this anthology is a treasure trove of creative insight and inspiration." - Kirkus, starred review

E. Connections:

~ Have students create their own versions of illustrations for a favorite book.

~ Have students illustrate a story of their own creation.

~ Talk about favorite illustrators and what each person likes about them.

~ Compare and contrast different styles of illustration (e.g. watercolors, oil painting, pastels, collage, etc.), then experiment with them.