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Author: Judy Butler

  • Leonardo’s Horse

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    Judy Butler
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    Leonardo’s Horse by Jean Fritz and Hudson Talbott (2001) is a masterpiece. Young readers will appreciate the reading level at grades 1 – 4. Middle and high schoolers can research the many references to Leonardo de Vinci, his endeavors, his contemporaries, and the setting in which he lived. This book condenses a huge amount of…

  • The House that Jack Built – Illustration Matters

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    Judy Butler
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    In The House That Jack Built  (1954, 1982), every character is smiling, except a few chickens, the rat, and the dog. I’m referring to a Little Golden Book Classic. This book is a happy-go-lucky rendition of that familiar story in the public domain. With blueprints in hand, Jack builds a small house. As he stands on a ladder to…

  • A Wire of Freedom

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    Judy Butler
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    The timeless theme of freedom meanders through Emily Arnold McCully’s trilogy about Mirette and Bellini. In the first book, Mirette on the High Wire (1993), her young protagonist feels free when walking the wire. Perhaps she’s freed from the grueling domestic work she does in her mother’s boarding house. We never see Mirette at school…

  • Let’s Support Human Creativity

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    Judy Butler
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    Rosa Bonheur wants to be an artist. Tomie dePaola wants to be an artist. Allen Say wants to be an artist. Each one embraces their aloneness and pursues a path that is different from their peers.  In The Art Lesson, Tommy wants to be an artist when he grows up, so he “drew and drew…

  • Rabbits Learn to Share

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    Judy Butler
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    If You Plant a Seed by Kadin Nelson (2015) is a beautiful book illustrated with lovely paintings. The cover is a close-up of a rabbit and a mouse that radiates light and color. It appears they’ve  collaborated to plant something. They gaze at a young seedling that’s emerging from rich brown soil. We can infer…

  • Eric Carle – the Why

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    Judy Butler
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    Herr Krauss. That’s the why. Herr Krauss secretly showed Eric Carle modern, expressionistic, abstract art. “‘Just look at the looseness, the freedom and–ah!–the beauty of these paintings. The Nazis have no idea what art is; they are charlatans!’” Eric Carle’s art teacher praised the freedom and looseness of his drawing and painting. “‘I’m only permitted…

  • Black and White Drawings

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    Judy Butler
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    Picture books with black and white drawings are rare at library book sales. I’m always glad to discover one. Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn (1965, 2005, 2012) tells of Andrew Henry Thatcher’s passion for building things. Andrew loved to piece together elaborate constructions. His mother could not tolerate the helicopter Andrew designed to hang…

  • Wessman and Wiesner: Serious Play with Paint

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    Judy Butler
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    I had the pleasure of meeting Robin Wessman at a local art show. The Provincetown Independent featured Wessman’s paintings in “Robin Wessman’s Destabilizing Reality” (March 20, 2025). In this article we see Wessman’s color and light leap off the page. Reporter Abraham Storer describes these still life images as “rendered realistically, with fastidious care given to…

  • Collage Fun

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    Judy Butler
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    As I play with collage, I realize one reason I love childrens’ picture book illustration is that every image tells a story. My collage is just an arrangement of objects and colors without a message. Something to think about. Here’s a few in frames from local thrift stores.

  • Where – or Who – is Mom?

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    Judy Butler
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    I came across The Overeager Egg by Milja Praagman (2022) at the bookstore and took a peek. The overeager egg is one that tumbles out of its nest, hits a rock, and partially hatches. When it sees other creatures it asks, “Are you my mommy?” A swan at the end of the story has found…