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

Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire
By Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville
Illustrated by Brigette Barrager
Antheneum, 2017. Biography.

To start, I was EXCITED for this new book. I love picture book biographies, bright colors, strong women, and Disney. As soon as this book became available I hurried to check it out and I read it immediately. This story is well-told - focusing on one woman that most readers haven't heard about. I learned quite a bit about the life of Mary Blair - a Disney concept artist who left to work in advertising when her artistic style was not appreciated, then came back years later to design "It's a Small World" and its colorful, bright, iconic design. Mary's disagreements with her colleagues seem to focus on a difference of style and not on her being the only woman in a man's game (though this is mentioned). Mary comes across as a great role model for young creatives and this bold, bright, beautiful book will inspire readers of all ages.

Even if you are just in it for the illustrations - you will not be disappointed by the spectacular colors. The feel of the artwork in this book is decidedly retro - paying respect to Mary Blair's signature style while still looking distinctly Brigette Barrager. Disney fans, art fans, and picture book biography fans will surely love this book.

Comments

Review: The Night Librarian

The Night Librarian By Christopher Lincoln New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024. Comics. 247 pages. Fraternal twins Page and Turner Read have grown accustomed to feeling neglected by their parents lately. Their parents are often busy with meetings and work trips and leave the twins behind with a revolving door of nannies -- who are also often neglectful. So, Page and Turner spend a lot of time at their favorite place -- the New York Public Library. On a whim, Page, the more reckless twin, steals her father's prized first-edition copy of Dracula and takes it to the library hoping to have it appraised, much to the chagrin of her more careful brother, Turner. In a disastrous twist, the book goes missing before they get the information they need. In soliciting help from Ms. Literati, the Night Librarian, they have no idea that they'll be whisked to a secret room far under the stacks where the night librarians tend to the characters that like to pop out of books and try to p

Review: Give Me Something Good to Eat

Give Me Something Good to Eat By D. W. Gillespie New York, Delacorte Press, 2024. Fiction. 262 pages. I went totally out of my comfort zone with my choice for this book review. I decided I wanted to read a spooky book for October, even though I typically do not read scary books. This book gave me shivers from the very start, with a giant spider on the cover and spider webs drawn on the page of each new chapter. Halloween is the best night of the year in a rural town that is obsessed with monsters and all kinds of creepy things. There is one major problem, however. Each year on Halloween a child goes missing! But after they go missing, no one remembers the children, except for the main character Mason Miller. When Mason's little sister becomes the next in a long string of missing children, it’s up to Mason and his friends to figure out the town's bizarre mystery. This book has a lot to offer: monsters, heroes, a werewolf, zombies, an enchanted scarecrow, a rat man, and p

Five Faves: When Cultures Combine

None of us are just "one thing." All of us have several qualities that make us who we are and we have all had several people, and sometimes several cultures, influence who we've become. For some people, these differences are so significant that it can feel like they come from two different worlds. These books are all about celebrating what it's like to come from multiple cultures and claiming the many facets of what makes you "you!" Two New Years Written by Richard Ho Illustrated by Lynn Scurfield San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2023. Picture Book. This multicultural family gets to celebrate the New Year multiple times. They celebrate Rosh Hashana in the fall and the Lunar New Year in the spring. The similarities and differences are explored in this picture book by showing Rosh Hashana and Lunar New Year's traditions on separate pages sometimes and at other times showing customs from both holidays nestled together. Reflecting the author's cultural an

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog