The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Random House Studio
(pub. 8.6.2024)
40 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Author: Angela Burke Kunkel
Illustrator: Becca Stadtlander
Character: Barbara Cooney
Overview:
" Barbara was born in a hotel in Brooklyn, with a view of the city and the sea. Her father loved numbers and money. But Barbara and her mother loved art, and color, and light. Barbara’s favorite days were when she stayed home sick in bed and got to paint and draw.
In the summers, they left New York for Maine, where Barbara scrambled among the rocks, wind whipping her hair, light sparkling on the water. Summer was grey, and blue, and green, and free.
When Barbara grew up, she ventured out into the world with an art portfolio—she thought she might like to illustrate books. And she did, creating classics like Miss Rumphius, Island Boy, and Hattie and the Waves."
Tantalizing taste:
"The publisher allows for five simple colors. The book is a huge success. Because Barbara has drawn all this for herself.
And that is when Barbara
begins
to break
the rules,
to scratch the surface of what she can do.
Because life
isn't laid out
in black
and white."
And something more: The author, Angela Burke Kunkel, shared in the Author's Note: "Barbara Cooney also left a legacy beyond her career aw an author and illustrator, which spanned 60 years and 110 books, with her efforts to help build a new library in Damariscotta [Maine]. In additional to her own financial contributions, she organized an auction of work from other well-known illustrators to raise more funds... To borrow a phrase from her beloved Miss Rumphius, Barbara Cooney left the world more beautiful."
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