Picture Book Month: Artists & Painters

I loved this inspirational story of an artist that I wasn’t familiar with – plus it’s written as a picture book biography making it extremely accessible to young readers. Horace Pippin was born in the late 1800s in West Chester, PA (right down the road from me!) and loved to draw with any supplies he could find around the house and neighborhood. Horace was shot during Word War I and when his arm healed, he found he couldn’t lift it on its own. After many years, Horace couldn’t ignore his passion for art any longer and worked hard to become stronger and eventually became a painter recognized by N.C. Wyeth, another local author. This is the story of a man who didn’t stop doing what he loved, even when he didn’t think he’d ever be able to do it again.
Title: A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
Author: Jen Bryant
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 8, 2013

You’ll be seeing a lot of picture books on my blog throughout the month of November as we celebrate Picture Book Month.  You’ll definitely want to check out the website as picture book authors and illustrators will be posting an essay each day about the importance of picture books!  Check back daily for some great picture books surrounding a specific theme.