MAKING ART

Distilled text and images rife with examples celebrate the importance of creating.

Ejaita’s narrative is a marvel of pithy economy. “Let’s look around and make some art. / We find ideas for what to make, / and ideas for what to use.” The author/illustrator examines the physicality and multitudinous methods of making art, as well as the interrelationship between the work and the makers’ emotions. She’s adamant on one point: “We cannot make art without / listening to our feelings. // We put our feelings into the art, / and feel the art in our body.” Making art can elicit happiness but also sadness and fear; in one scene, a muralist with spray paint, presumably out of environmental concern, creates images of animals with teardrops on building walls. Laudably, Ejaita acknowledges the difficulties artists face and the need for patience in both finding ideas and bringing one’s concepts to fruition. She examines inspiration and the inherent pleasure of sharing art with others yet celebrates the notion of keeping some work “as a treasure for yourself.” Her illustrations brim with joyous color and activity as diverse children stitch, repurpose found objects, listen to and make music, break-dance, create collages, think, write, and more. Characters vary in skin color, from black and brown to pink and the gold, blue, and purple of the page background. A lovely message of unity and gratitude concludes the piece, and decorated endpapers complete it.

Simply wonderful, and a balm for these troubled times.