Georgia's Bones

Description:

Author Jen Bryant (The Right Word) and illustrator Bethanne Andersen hail the unique work and spirit of artist Georgia O'Keeffe in this picture book biography.

Growing up on a Wisconsin farm, Georgia O'Keeffe began gathering all sorts of objects -- sticks and stones, flowers and bones. Although she was teased for her interest in unique shapes and sizes, young Georgia declared: "Someday, I'm going to be an artist" -- and that is exactly what she became.

Jen Bryant's story of Georgia O'Keeffe honors the famous artist's fascination with natural shapes, "common objects," and her unusual way of looking at the world. Bethanne Andersen's fluid, graceful illustrations capture the beauty of O'Keeffe's work and spirit.

Brief description: Jen Bryant has written numerous books for young readers, including Georgia's Bones and A River ofWords, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award.Her book A Splash of Red (Knopf)received the Schneider Family Book Award and theNCTE Orbis Pictus Award for nonfiction. She lives inPennsylvania.

Review Quotes:

"Bryant writes in spare, lyrical verse, honoring her subject's idiosyncratic impressions and precise observation of the natural world...Andersen, for her part, strides bravely into O'Keeffe's considerable shadow... this bold, beautiful rendition has a certain nonconformist flair that surely would have earned O'Keeffe's stamp of approval." --Booklist

"Bryant's lyrical text serves as a gentle introduction to a remarkable artist. . . . Andersen is sensitive to O'Keeffe's style and subject matter, foreshadowing some of her famous paintings in scenes throughout the book. . . . A fine first look at O'Keeffe."--School Library Journal

"This spare narrative follows Georgia O'Keeffe's creative growth from her childhood to her vision-changing encounter with the New Mexico landscape . . . The illustrations manage to convey the drama of O'Keeffe's subjects as well as the vistas that surrounded her. Useful for introducing youngsters to the notion of artistic vision."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books