Through Georgia' Eyes (bk 1) (32 pgs)

Rodriguez, Rachel (2006). Through Georgia's eyes. Henry Holt and Company. New York.

Summary:
Rachel Rodriguez gives the reader a look into the world that was Georgia O'Keefe's life. Through her very present passion about her subject, Rodriguez tells the story about O'Keefe's first memory and ends with her death without actually mentioning when she died. Rodriguez tells us about O'Keefe's childhood dream of becoming an artist and her decision that she was going to do so. She goes through the years of O'Keefe's travels through cities and her desire to return to the "Faraway" place she loves. O'Keefe then goes on her journeys to paint the world in order to show it's wonder.

Author: Rachel Rodriguez
Illustrator: Julie Paschkins
Illustrations: Paschkins used sheets of paper painted with gradiating color. She then cut these pieces of paper into shapes and glued them into layers as a cut paper collage. She used some of O'Keefe's own painting for inspiration. The illustrations are bright and colorful and take up most of the two page spreads on most pages.
Access Features: Author's Note, Illustrator's Note, More About Georgia O'Keefe
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: Cover is an illustration of one of Georgia O'Keefe's paintings of numerous rolling hills. End pages are green perhaps to represent O'Keefe's love for nature. Pages are white with most illustrations covering a two page spread with very little text on the bottom of the page.
Writing Style: Some of the text may be difficult for younger students to understand, but the language is simple with extremely beautiful images conjuered by the metaphors and similes used in the text. Rodriguez takes the reader through O'Keefe's life and you can really feel her passion for the woman she is writing about.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This would be a wonderful book to use to talk about influential women in history or as an art history lesson.
Standards: Art Standard 4:Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures; Social Studies Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2007
Author Credibility: This is the author's first book. In her author's note she states that she read all she could about her, however she doesn't list any of her resources or give any details that would giver her credibility.
Related Texts: My Name Is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter; A Bird or 2: A Story About Henri Matisse by: Bijou Le Tord; Georgia's Bones by: Jen Bryant; Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules (Smart About Art) by: True Kelley; Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors: (Smart About Art) by: Jane O'Connor; Edgar Degas: Paintings That Dance (Smart About Art) by: Maryann Cocca-Leffler; Paul Cezanne: A Painter's Journey by: Robert Burleigh; Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies: Sunshine and Waterlilies (Smart About Art) by: True Kelley

Response:
I was so intrigued by this book just by looking at the cover. The colors were so bright and vibrant that it just seems to pull you in. I wasn't disappointed. Rodriguez does a wonderful job of describing Georgia O'Keefe's paintings and her determination to become an artist. It's a really short read but it has an impact just the same.