The Bottom Line
Pros
- Illustrations look like paintings done on canvas, not graphics.
- Introduces readers to the concept of working artists, and the subjects they paint.
- Introduces the concept of different pigments for a color, it's not just red.
- Each artist has a dog, which is included in the paintings.
Cons
- You may be faced with a request for "real artist paints" and easel after reading this.
Description
- Aimed at ages four to eight years. 40 pages. ISBN 978-0-06-443825-4. Published by Harper Collins.
- Written by mother-and-daughter team Patricia and Emily MacLachland.
- Illustrated by Katy Schneider. Samples of the paintings in Painting the Wind can be viewed on her website.
Guide Review - Painting the Wind
The story in Painting the Wind is a gentle one, about a young boy who lives on an island where artists (and their dogs) come every summer to paint. He watches what they do and paint, introducing readers to different subjects such as still life, portraiture, flowers, landscapes. He joins a landscape artist painting the sea, and finally achieves his ambition to paint the wind.
The book cover says the story is "about holding on to the perfect moments of summer in a place that you love", but I rather think it's a celebration of the joys and challenges of painting, of being a painter, and of seeing yourself as an artist. It presents being a painter as a people with a passion, taking enjoyment in what they create, and presenting art as a career (there's an exhibition). That's a lot for a 40-page children's book I hear you say. Well, the illustrations do at least half of the talking.
The language will be challenging in places, especially for younger readers, but the context helps explain the meaning and is likely to trigger an interest in the "big words". For instance, the paint colors alizarin crimson, terracotta, scarlet lake, and cadmium red are introduced when a painter is going to paint a poppy and "rummages through his tube of reds". (Be prepared for questions about the names of the paint colors in your studio!)
If you've children or grandchildren, or have children visiting your studio, this the perfect book to share. Not only does it explain what a painter is and having painterly illustrations, it also plants the seed of the thrill of creating something, no matter what your age.
