Art & Max

by David Wiesner

Overview

Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max’s first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media, which turn out to have unexpected pitfalls. Although Max is inexperienced, he’s courageous—and a quick learner. His energy and enthusiasm bring the adventure to its triumphant conclusion. Beginners everywhere will take heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618756636
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/04/2010
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	BR (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

David Wiesner is internationally renowned for his visual storytelling and has won the Caldecott Medal three times—for Tuesday, The Three Pigs, and Flotsam—only the second person to ever do so. He is also the recipient of three Caldecott Honors, for Free Fall, Sector 7, and Mr. Wuffles. He lives near Philadelphia with his family. 

Hometown:

Outside Philadelphia, P.A.

Date of Birth:

February 5, 1956

Place of Birth:

Bridgewater, NJ

Education:

Rhode Island School of Design -- BFA in Illustration.

Website:

http://www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner/

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A thought-provoking exploration of the creative process....Funny, clever, full of revelations to those who look carefully—this title represents picture-book making at its best."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Children will giggle and marvel....Triple Caldecott winner Wiesner delivers a wildly trippy, funny and original interpretation of the artistic process."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This small-scale and surprisingly comedic story takes place against a placid backdrop of pale desert colors, which recedes to keep the focus squarely on the dynamic between the two lizards and the wide range of emotions that Wiesner masterfully evokes."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Sophisticated and playful, this beautiful mind-stretcher invites viewers to think about art's fundamentals: line, color, shape, and imaginative freedom."—Booklist starred review

"[A] visual meditation on the effects of illustrative style. . . . Detailed with Wiesner's signature craft and wit."—The Horn Book

"Longtime children's book legend David Wiesner takes exciting risks with his newest book about two art-making critters."—The Huffington Post

Editorial Reviews

"A thought-provoking exploration of the creative process....Funny, clever, full of revelations to those who look carefully—this title represents picture-book making at its best."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Children will giggle and marvel....Triple Caldecott winner Wiesner delivers a wildly trippy, funny and original interpretation of the artistic process."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This small-scale and surprisingly comedic story takes place against a placid backdrop of pale desert colors, which recedes to keep the focus squarely on the dynamic between the two lizards and the wide range of emotions that Wiesner masterfully evokes."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Sophisticated and playful, this beautiful mind-stretcher invites viewers to think about art's fundamentals: line, color, shape, and imaginative freedom."—Booklist, starred review

"[A] visual meditation on the effects of illustrative style. . . . Detailed with Wiesner's signature craft and wit."—The Horn Book
"Longtime children's book legend David Wiesner takes exciting risks with his newest book about two art-making critters."—The Huffington Post

From the Publisher

Two lizards, one an unbridled enthusiast and the other a restrained snoot, stumble along a circuitous creative path together, making art through mishap and engaging all kinds of media along the way. When impetuous Max decides to paint deliberate Art, he impulsively covers him with sloppy splashes of vibrant color. Art explodes, sending all his rainbow scales flying, and he is suddenly, inexplicably, stripped to a pastel image. In successive efforts to help restore him, Max inadvertently reduces Art to washes of watercolor and finally a spare line drawing. With a tug on the tail, Art's figure unravels completely, and Max, the gleeful amateur, must use instinct and imagination to re-create his friend. Children will giggle and marvel at each transformation, ogling some images that bleed beyond page borders and others that appear within crisp panels, hanging in white space like artwork on a gallery wall. Treble Caldecott winner Wiesner delivers a wildly trippy, funny and original interpretation of the artistic process. In this illustrator's world, mind-blowing art comes from accident, if you're brave enough (like Max) to smile and take an awkward leap. (Picture book. 4-10)

Kirkus Reviews