Minni Favorite Books – November
Our Favorite November Books
This month we’re reading books about our favorite topic, art! Artists big and small know the art-making journey is often just as interesting and rich as the finished piece itself. Taking ideas from conception to fruition can be tricky! In addition to highlighting how art beautifies the world, these stories also encourage us to embrace the messiest parts of making. Sometimes we get frustrated, discouraged, or overwhelmed while working towards our grand ideas, but that’s ok! It’s all part of the process. These stories underscore how making art teaches us to embrace accidents, value uniqueness, and persevere in the face of challenges.
Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy
What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her neighbors discover, more than you might ever imagine! Based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego, California, this book reveals how art can inspire transformation and how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big. Pick up a paintbrush and join the celebration!
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
A spill. A smear. A smudge. A tear. When you think you have made a mistake, it’s actually an opportunity to make something beautiful! This book lets kids know it’s OK to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a portal of discovery. A spill doesn’t ruin a drawing—not when it becomes the shape of a goofy animal. And an accidental tear in your paper? Maybe you can turn it into the roaring mouth of an alligator.
Ish by Peter H. Reynolds
Ramon loved to draw. Anytime. Anything. Anywhere. Drawing is what Ramon does. It¹s what makes him happy. But a reckless remark by Ramon's older brother, Leon, turns Ramon's carefree sketches into joyless struggles. Luckily for Ramon, his little sister, Marisol, sees the world differently. She opens his eyes to something a lot more valuable than getting things just "right." Combining the spareness of fable with the potency of parable, this book shines a bright beam of light on the need to kindle and tend our creative flames with care.
The Most Magnificent by Ashley Spires
The protagonist of our story has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!? But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, she gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.
What Do You Do with an Idea by Kobi Yamada
This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens. This is a story for anyone, at any age, who's ever had an idea that seemed a little too big, too odd, too difficult. It's a story to inspire you to welcome that idea, to give it some space to grow, and to see what happens next. Because your idea isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's just getting started.
