Margaret Peot

This picture book nonfiction for very young readers. showcases different sources of light. Each source gets a two-page spread featuring color against a dark background, accompanied by 2-3 words describing properties of the light "crystal jellyfish shimmer," "fire warms." Most pages use common names; a few use more complex scientific names. The paintings are striking but printed on flimsier paper with a glossy sheen. A matte finish might have made the color and light work in the art stand out even further. Still, a solid early science picture book with opportunities to talk about color and nature and that introduces rich verbs associated with light. Backmatter includes brief additional facts about light sources, bibliography, websites, and index. The layout of the light sources section is a bit compromised by two sources spilling onto the next page, cramped above the bibliography where they're easily lost.… (altro)

In Alternative Art Journals, Margaret Peot explores some unconventional ways of keeping an art journal, from boxes to card decks to faux family photo albums. This is one of my favourite books on art journaling. I love Peot's art style (lots of muted, earthy colours and nature themes such as butterflies and moons) and the projects in this book are almost all ones I would love to try. Tag journals, box journals, card journals, accordion-style books - they're all enticing. Lots of inspiring photos and simple instructions for (mostly) non-intimidating projects make this a book I would recommend.… (altro)