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Dec 17, 2011Artful rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Pinkwater's book helps children (and parents) think about how to talk to people about their art work. The "critics" in the book project their ideas onto bear's picture, but don't listen to his own explanation of his lovely painting. A less resilient artist than bear might decide to stop painting in the face of the negative comments or misunderstanding of the critics in the book, but bear keeps on painting. The book opens up good conversation with children about what kinds of things they can say to other artists to make them want to make more art, rather than to discourage them. On the last page, the print wraps around the page, encouraging readers to turn the book upside down. Children are amazed to see that bear's landscape painting also becomes his self-portrait when seen upside down. This can open discussions about how we may see other things in a painting than an artist sees him or herself. There's also a school of thought that considers every work of art to be a "self-portrait" -- and that's fun to talk about with children, too