Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair Disney Artist Extraordinaire

Pocket Full of Colors
by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville
Illustrated by Brigette Barrager
Anthem Books for Young Readers, 2017, unpaged, Youth Nonfiction

Mary Blair was an American artist and illustrator. When she began working for Disney, the other animators thought her style strange, but Walt Disney loved it. Her work influenced Disney classics like Cinderella, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Three Caballeros. Her artwork was also featured in numerous advertisements through the 50's and 60's and Little Golden Books. Though surely many people are familiar with any one of these example's of her work, there is more that may surprise and delight fans of her art. Mary Blair designed Disneyland's It's a Small World.

The illustrations is this book are done after the fashion of Mrs. Blair's work. Blair's art made our world a more colorful place and this darling book is a fantastic story of perseverance, pursuing what you love, and daring to be yourself. This is a great book for little Disney fans and budding artists alike.

Pass Go and Collect $200

Pass Go and Collect $200
By Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrated by Steven Salerno
Henry Holt and Company, 2018, Unpaginated, Youth Nonfiction

Have you ever played the board game Monopoly? Where did it all start?
Elizabeth Magie created the game to help people realize how unjust tenant-landlord relationships were in the late 1800's in America.However, the game went through many changes and many more hands before it became the game we know today.

This clever book reveals the confusing history surrounding this popular game. Readers will be fascinated by how the game was used, designed, reused, and redesigned over the years. Who knew that it was used in a college classroom? Or that for years, fans made up their own changes and even rules - and those changes still appear in the version people know today? Though full of facts, this book has beautiful illustrations done in crayon, ink, gouache, and pastel that have been Photoshoped and layered on top of each other. The result is a colorful and interesting book that would be great for anyone who wants to learn little more about Monopoly, board games, or American history.

The Only Child

The Only Child
by Goujing
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2015, Picture Book, unpaginated
It is not uncommon for a child to feel lonely at times, even when they have a loving and caring family. Here a child tries to relieve their loneliness, and ends up lost in magical world. The child experiences fear, comfort, loss, and hope on their journey to back home.
Goujing grew up in China as an only child and used those memories to craft this book. All the pictures are done in a monochromatic gray scale that evokes both the loneliness the child feels in the real world and the wonder they find in the imaginary. This book is entirely without words, relying entirely on visual interpretation of the reader. Children will enjoy the pictures and the fantastical world found in the book, while adults may enjoy the reflection on loneliness, love , home ,and friendship.

The Pink Refrigerator

The Pink Refrigerator
By Tim Egan
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Picture Book, unpaginated
Dodsworth does nothing all day, everyday - and he likes it. But one day while visiting the junkyard he finds a pink refrigerator and slowly his life begins to change. This charming book offers a story that is enjoyable but also contains subtle lessons on laziness and the importance of finding one's talents, achievement, and fulfillment in life. It's watercolor and ink pictures make it a colorful and sweet book. This would be a great choice for any child who loves all things pink; or parents who want to encourage their children not to live their lives in front of a screen.