Tomie dePaola: His Art and His Stories
Tomie dePaola is among the best-known, best-loved artist/authors creating books for children today. His art and his stories, filled with imagination, humor, elegance, and curiosity, emanate from a love of life reflected in everything he does. Barbara Elleman, a critic in her own right, explores Tomie dePaola as artist and storyteller. The result is a fascinating, complete, and highly readable account that looks first at his life and then at the many genres he has drawn upon—autobiographical...
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Tomie dePaola is among the best known, best loved artist/authors creating books for children today. His art and his stories, filled with imagination, humor, elegance, and curiosity emanate from a love of life reflected in everything he does.Barbara Elleman, a critic in her own right, explores Tomie dePaola as artist and story-teller. The result is a fascinating, complete, and highly readable account which looks first at his life and then at the many genres he has drawn upon--autobiographical memories, folktales, Christmas themes, religious stories, and more. She shows patterns and motifs that thread through his work, points out major influences on his art, and gives a rare look at his fine art and his "non-book" designs.Ms. Elleman's thoughtful narrative and choices of art to illustrate Mr. dePaola's diverse styles bring a fresh appreciation to the work of this unique artist/authorLibrary JournalFans of dePaola's work will gravitate toward this handsome oversized book that provides a critical overview and celebration of the subject's illustrious career. It begins with a biographical chapter and continues with sections about the author/artist's autobiographical tales, religious books, folktales, nonfiction works, collections, and drawings and paintings; a single chapter is devoted to his most famed creation-"Strega Nona." Well-chosen examples of dePaola's art effectively illustrate Elleman's critical insights; photographs and illustrations on nearly every page create an appealing presentation. While children will enjoy poring over the collected illustrations, they are not the primary audience for this scholarly text. Elleman's description of the influence of Italian Renaissance artists and those of other periods upon dePaola's work may serve as a useful educational point of departure for discussing artistic inspiration and art history. A well-crafted and thoughtful book.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
\ Library JournalFans of dePaola's work will gravitate toward this handsome oversized book that provides a critical overview and celebration of the subject's illustrious career. It begins with a biographical chapter and continues with sections about the author/artist's autobiographical tales, religious books, folktales, nonfiction works, collections, and drawings and paintings; a single chapter is devoted to his most famed creation-"Strega Nona." Well-chosen examples of dePaola's art effectively illustrate Elleman's critical insights; photographs and illustrations on nearly every page create an appealing presentation. While children will enjoy poring over the collected illustrations, they are not the primary audience for this scholarly text. Elleman's description of the influence of Italian Renaissance artists and those of other periods upon dePaola's work may serve as a useful educational point of departure for discussing artistic inspiration and art history. A well-crafted and thoughtful book.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.\ \
