Review by Joan Walters. Rhian Brynjolson, an illustrator of award-winning children's books and the animator of several shorts for Canadian Sesame Street, has written a comprehensive and helpful guide for parents and teachers to initiate, support and enhance the visual arts experience of children and young adolescents. Although not a certified teacher, the author has had extensive experience working with teachers and teaching children in and outside of schools. She richly illustrates the book with examples of children's artworks based on the lessons and activities outlined in the text. Writing for adults without much experience in the visual arts, the author provides a sound rationale for art education and for the approach taken in the book.
Drawing is emphasized as a way of seeing and learning and as a basis for other academic skills.
Because of the author's personal experience as an illustrator, the section on book illustration stands out. With this exception, the book varies little from other books on the market, but it appears to be a well-researched compilation of content and approaches from accepted art education sources. The user friendliness of the how-to's and the many illustrations make this a useful support for art programs in the schools. The author labels art appreciation as a passive activity, but this can only be a subjective point of view. With the exception of her attention to book illustration, there is little reference to a wider world of art.