Begin at the beginning - Hardcover

Schwartz, Amy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060252278 ISBN 13: 9780060252274

Publisher: Harper & Row, 1983

Synopsis

Sara gets stuck when she must paint a picture for the second grade art show, until she discovers the best place to begin.

About this title

About the Author:

Amy Schwartz is the author and illustrator of many picture books for children, including Begin at the Beginning; Things I Learned in Second Grade; Bea and Mr. Jones, a Reading Rainbow feature; What James Likes Best, recipient of the 2004 Charlotte Zolotow Award; and a glorious day.

From Booklist:

PreS-Gr. 2. Sara is overwhelmed when her teacher asks her to paint a picture for the school art fair: "She said she knew I could do something wonderful," she wails. Her original subject idea--a favorite tree--doesn't seem important enough. She fortifies herself with snacks, cleans her desk, readies her art supplies, and prepares to paint "everything! . . . The universe!" Paralyzed by the enormity of her task, she agonizes until her mother gently helps her see that "the universe is only people like you and me, and your desk and this room, and those houses . . . " and Sara returns to her original inspiration--the tree outside her window. Schwartz's watercolor-and-pencil drawings, which show Sara's creative imaginings as well as her cozy reality, extend the spot-on emotions in the smooth, well-paced text. Most children will easily connect with Sara's preproject jitters, her procrastination tactics, and finally her joy when she finally dips her brush in color and starts to paint. Suggest Peter Reynolds' The Dot (2003) for another picture book about overcoming creative blocks. Gillian Engberg
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About this edition

• Publisher: Harper & Row
• Publication date: 1983
• ISBN 10: 0060252278
• ISBN 13: 9780060252274
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 26