BOOK MARKED
12 Children’s Books
About Art
and Creativity
Some people use their creativity to rebel
against bullies, some use it to avoid bedtime. From
smushing clay to trying stand-up, these recent releases
feature characters exploring art and creativity in a
wide-range of activities and situations, sparking plenty
of imagination in readers of all ages.

BY JENNIFER ROTHSCHILD, COLLECTION ENGAGEMENT
LIBRARIAN, ARLINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
YOUNG READERS
‘Rafi and Rosi Music’
By Lulu Delacre
Even though they’re tree frogs, Rafi and
Rosi still deal with normal sibling tensions.

Luckily their shared love of Puerto Rico’s
music and dances gives them common
ground in their relationship.

PICTURE BOOKS
‘Beautiful Shades of Brown:
The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring’
By Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall
Growing up, Laura didn’t see many paint-
ings of people who looked like her. When
By Jenny Pinkerton
she became an artist, she spent hours mix-
A blob of clay becomes a ball, a snake, a flower
ing different shades of browns to use in
and more as it gets smushed and coiled and
her paintings. Pair this book with a trip
played with in this fun board book.

to the National Portrait Gallery to see her
work in person.

‘Friday Night
Wrestlefest’ ‘Vera Vance: Comics Star’
‘Play with Clay’
By JF Fox,
illustrated by Micah Player
Bedtime has never been as much fun as
this playful wrestling match between
Dangerous Daddoo and his kids Peanut
Brother and Jellyfish. Things really get
going when Mama-Rama and Big Bald Baby
enter the ring.

Vera loves her after-school program about
making comics, but her mother isn’t sure
of its educational value. Although Vera has
a hard time saying what she wants, she finds
her voice in the comics she creates.

‘Pitter Pattern’
MIDDLE GRADE
Lu notices patterns everywhere she goes
— from the diamonds on the wallpaper
to the notes in a song. Young readers will
love looking through the illustrations to
see all the patterns they can find, too.

‘The Mystwick School of Musicraft’
By Joyce Hesselberth
44 Washington FAMILY MARCH 2020
By Claudia Mills,
illustrated by Grace Zong
By Jessica Khoury
All Amelia wants is to be a Maestro — the
most powerful magical musicians — and the
Mystwick School of Musicraft is the first step.