The Artist
Written and illustrated by Ed Vere
Hello PB fans!
This week I’m sharing something new at the end of the letter: a New and Noteworthy section, which which will link to freshly published picture books, great PB analysis, and the occasional big industry news. And let me just say—this week, some real bangers hit the shelves. You do not want to miss the New and Noteworthy links, right down here!
And now, onto this week’s featured picture book…
Oh, this is a book with a special place in my heart. I picked up Ed Vere’s THE ARTIST one rainy afternoon at Green Apple Books, and instantly fell head over heels for it. A love letter filled with encouragement to artists of all stripes, it’s as relevant for children as it is for grown-ups learning a new skill or creating, well, anything new. Most of all, it’s a reminder to never let fear of failure get in the way of making.
I am forever interested in the act of creation—the genesis of creativity, how humans nurture it, expand it, how it’s shared amongst our collective consciousness, why it contracts, why it reappears—and loved introducing some of these ideas to my own young artist. Did she also fall in love with THE ARTIST because her mom adores it so? Or did it speak to some part of her creative, artistic soul? Who knows—but if you have a creative kid in your life, it’s a foolproof purchase.
Let’s check it out.
“In the middle of drawing a drawing someone asked me, “What is an artist?”
I thought about it and said…”
How much do I love a picture book that begins on the title page? Let me count the ways. THE ARTIST is no exception, with Vere’s wonderful illustration work colliding with collage, photography, and hand-lettering to make a visually layered, super compelling opening. Here, we turn the book’s endpaper and are met with this big (existential!) question:
WHAT IS AN ARTIST?
Vere writes, “The world is a wonderful place… Sometimes we’re too busy to notice it. Artists try to see it all.”
Honestly, while I adore so many aspects of this book, I would’ve bought it based on this first spread alone. It encompasses my own personal approach to seeing and making, and with those blue-purple-pink skies and tiny rainbow T-Rex protagonist? Swoon.
We watch our young artist grow and develop their craft and point of view. Their ideas evolve, bigger, more ambitious, and as they begin to share their work with the world at large, the world sits up and takes notice.
(Make note of the little girl admiring The Artist’s work from the sidewalk. She’s important!)
Ok, great—art is fun, beautiful, nourishing, and validating. What could go wrong, right?
Oh boy.
Just as the artist gets comfortable with the thing they’re making; just as the pressure of excellence and expectation begins to build…
That’s when you inevitably color outside the lines.
“I didn’t mean to do that,” says The Artist, no longer a vibrant, swirly rainbow but a frantic mess of reds and pinks. “I think I’ve made a mistake.”
The Artist’s worry and fear keep her from making anything new.
And she is rather blue.
But then, our friend and #1 fan from the sidewalk steps forward with a vitally important lesson, one every artist must remember (though it is admittedly quite difficult at times).
“Coloring outside the lines doesn’t matter. Mistakes are how you learn. Heart is what matters. And your art is full of heart…”
I really loved this detail of an early fan helping put The Artist back on track. There is something special and magical when you share your work with people and they see your potential and understand your vision, even when you’re still refining and figuring it out!
And thus, The Artist returns to her usual rainbow self, emboldened to keep making, keep trying, keep experimenting! Off she goes, painting the whole town beautiful.
“And maybe that is what an artist is,” Vere tells us. “So keep drawing, because maybe YOU are an artist too!”
(Friendly artist reminder: remove the word “drawing” and replace with whatever YOU are working on. Writing! Painting! Photography! Knitting! Sculpting! Collaging! Whatever you want to make, keep going—you’re an artist, baby!)
We end with another collage, and a special shoutout and dedication from Vere: “To the artists. Keep seeing the beauty…keep going!”
And it was at that very moment inside Green Apple Books that I melted.
Once reconstituted, I hightailed it to the cash register and *plunked* down my credit card on the counter, then went home and got out my paints.
1 / Ok, so in case it wasn’t obvious, this one has been a family favorite. Once, about a year after I bought it, my kiddo was enjoying a read-aloud and I got to this part:
“She dreams as she draws. Her dreams turn into a plan…
To share her pictures with the world.
To show the world as she sees it. Its joy and its beauty.
And so she must go on a journey, far from home.”
She began bawling, inconsolably I might add. Once we got her to breathe slowly enough that she could speak, she revealed the source of her sadness:
“But I’M an artist,” she hiccuped. “Does that mean I have to leave you and our home if I want to keep being an artist?”
Friends, she saw so much of herself in THE ARTIST’S pages, it became a blueprint for how she imagined the rest of her life. Now that’s a powerful picture book.
(And fear not! We assured her she could be an artist anywhere she wanted—now, then, at home, or far away. But if you read this to your own little artist, perhaps prepare yourself for that disclaimer!)
2 / According to Ed Vere, this story “came from co-creating the ‘Power of Pictures’ visual literacy program.” Of this program, he writes:
If a child finds writing difficult (spelling, grammar, etc), any writing task comes front loaded with unpleasant problems. When they’re allowed to start a creative writing project by drawing (designing a character, for example), you grow an idea inside that child’s head before they’ve written a single word. Once an idea lives and breathes, a child has a base to write from and the motivation to want to.
A huge aspect of the ‘Power of Pictures’ project … aims to give teachers the understanding and confidence to use drawing with children, and to (gulp) actually draw themselves. Many haven’t drawn since they lost their own confidence in it at 7 or 8. That loss of confidence is often passed on. We try to break that cycle.
Once THE ARTIST was out, he shared via IG caption that the book aims “to give creative confidence to young artists everywhere… celebrating what it means to be an artist. Knowing that mistakes are a part of making art… and that the world is a joyful, beautiful place, full of wonders.” YES!
3 / In the early days of COVID, Vere published a series of “How to Draw” videos on his YouTube channel, which are worth a watch with the young artist in your life. A great place to start is “How to draw a Grumpy Frog.”
Support the makers:
Buy your copy:
Here we go! I hope you enjoy New & Noteworthy, my latest addition to The Page Turn! Let me know what you think in the comments. :)
Big Releases
Sophie Blackall’s latest picture book IF WE WERE DOGS is out as of September 16. It’s been a big month for her, as LOST EVANGELINE, her middle grade novel with Kate DiCamillo, is out September 30th, too!
Andrea Beaty’s latest Questioneers picture book—this one titled BILLIE JEAN PEET, ATHLETE—is out as of today. For the record, my daughter loves this series, as well as the series’ chapter books. They make great gifts, if you are in the market!
Fans of BUFFALO FLUFFALO take note: Bess Kalb’s follow up, BUFFALO FLUFFALO AND PUFFALO is out now!
LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET has been released in Spanish! (I’m honestly surprised it took this long??) Look for ÚLTIMA PARADA DE LA CALLE MARKET.
What I’ll be buying:
THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF THE HUMAN BODY
The ULTIMATE BOOK series is a must-have for any kid’s library. These books are incredible—featuring pop-ups and interactive elements, plus beautiful illustrations and informative-yet-not-overwhelming nuggets of knowledge. I bought the one about animals when my kiddo was a toddler, and years later, she still looks through it.
What I’ll be checking out from the library:
The House with the Little Red Door, by Grace Easton
Mythology Land: 12 Classic Legends Reimagined, by Claire Cock-Starkey and Pham Quang Phuc
Life (as We Know It) by Ziggy Hanaor and Cristobal Schmal
Make it All Go Away, by Helen Docherty
The Elevator on 74th Street, by Laura Gehl
Wiggling Words, by Kate Rolfe
Of note:
Inspired by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s recent deep dive into “The Dream,” a FROG AND TOAD story by Arnold Lobel, I’ve been revisiting more of Lobel’s early readers from the 1970s. I read GRASSHOPPER ON THE ROAD last night and boy if it isn’t some kind of prescient snapshot of America at present. It’s fantastic. And, like nearly all Lobel stories, it made me laugh out loud!
Speaking of Kate DiCamillo, she participated in a Q&A with Publishers Weekly that’s worth a read. Oh, to be so prolific!
I’ve been a fan of Kobi Yamada’s “Mentor” series of books (TRYING, NOTICING, et al), and was interested to see the cover and a discussion about an upcoming title, OTHERS. This sounds like a great one for classrooms!
M E T A
In this Post: The Artist, a book by Ed Vere
Keywords: Art, artist, making, creativity, fear of failure, creative process, craft, drawing, dinosaur, T-Rex, growing up, artistic, resilience, mistakes, don’t give up, quitting, perfectionism