Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Plain Janes

http://pgteenspace.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/plainjanes.jpg

Meet Jane. The new girl. Ever since her mom flipped out and made the family move to the suburbs, her life hasn’t been the same. Not that it’s all bad. Even though she had to leave behind someone very important to her – in a coma -- she’s still got a piece of him to take with her. His sketchbook.

http://www.playbackstl.com/images/stories/paneldiscussion/0507/pj.jpg

She’s also managed to find some new friends…the coolest girls in school. So what if they’re the least popular? Even when she was popular, her friends just didn’t get her style. These girls do. And together, they’re gonna use art as their weapon to wow the student body, go after what they want, and keep the town on its toes.


For any creative student out there who loves making a statement…the thesbians, the artists, the ones who think fitting in is just plain boring…this book is a revelation. It teaches that art can get you through anything…even high school. The bottom line is Art Saves. So you gotta look out for it. And support those who keep it alive. This book crosses all student groups, all stereotypes, all gender issues, and even manages to throw in some quotations from Goethe. Okay, if you actually know who Goethe is (and can pronounce it correctly), you really need to read this!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Wall

http://www.thebookbeat.com/shop/images/15207498.JPG
A Caldecott Honor Book!
(Not to be confused with that movie by Pink Floyd).

Peter Sis loved to draw. He would draw the things he saw around him. Shapes like red stars and flags…people… When he went to school they told him what to draw. He didn't mind. He drew tanks, sickles, and famous political leaders. He never questioned any of it. That is, until they started banning art, books, and music…anything that wasn’t Socialist. But it didn’t stop the West from coming in. And it didn’t stop Sis from painting in secret.



Want to know
more about what Sis painted? Read The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. Use it with your students to teach them first-hand what life is like under a Communist government. Peter’s diary
of drawings is sure to drum up interest!

Sis, P. (2007). The Wall: Growing up behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Francis Foster Books.