Reviewed by Bridget Fuller
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Samantha Berger
“What if?” is the question a young artist ponders as she considers what she would do without her art supplies. If she can’t use pencil and paper, she’ll use the world around her to create her art. And if the land and light disappear, she’ll use her voice, movement, and imagination to create stories.
Author Samantha Berger had to answer a similar question after a flood swept through her apartment and left her without her usual materials. She began to use everything around her to create and learned to see the world — and herself — in a new light. Inspired by her story, illustrator Mike Curato created the book’s vibrant artwork through a combination of traditional art supplies and found objects. Through rhyming couplets and dynamic illustrations, the young artist shares her creative spirit in a story that will engage children and adults alike.
Bridget Fuller is an intern with Teaching for Change in Spring 2022 while studying sociology and education at the University of Notre Dame.
What If... by Samantha Berger
on April 10, 2018
Genres: Art
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Grade K, Grades 1-2
ISBN: 9780316515931
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Publisher's Synopsis: Creativity, the power of imagination, and the importance of self-expression are celebrated in this inspiring picture book written and illustrated by real-life best friends.
This girl is determined to express herself! If she can't draw her dreams, she'll sculpt or build, carve or collage. If she can't do that, she'll turn her world into a canvas. And if everything around her is taken away, she'll sing, dance, and dream...
Stunning mixed media illustrations, lyrical text, and a breathtaking gatefold conjure powerful magic in this heartfelt affirmation of art, imagination, and the resilience of the human spirit.
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