31 in 31 Day 10: The Noisy Paint Box

I wish I could say I’ve loved to paint since I was a child,
but the truth is,
I only started a few years ago.
Sure, I drew a LOT as a kid,
and had many of those cheap watercolor sets,
but I didn’t like painting.
Not enough control.
I preferred crayons.

Fast forward 20 or so years and I was old enough to realize that
the things that were hard for me or frustrated me
I should probably go towards.
I started experimenting with watercolors and have loved painting with them since.

I’m still getting used to how the colors feel
and what colors I like the best,
but the artist in this book grasped that right away!
This is such an interesting read!

Title: The Noisy Paintbox
Published by: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014
Written by: Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by: Mary Grandpré
Word Count: 1098
Pages: 40

In one word: Art-tastic!
In one sentence: Vasya Kadinsky hears sounds when he mixes colors, and sees colors when he hears sounds, but when he paints something that’s not a tree or a lady or a house, how will his parents and art teachers react?
Favorite pages:

Likes:
I love the illustrations! They’re made with acrylics and collage and fit the story so well. I feel like you have to look closely and see all the treasures in the illustration, and Kadinsky would have wanted you to do that!

The story reads very fast for having more than 1000 words! I like how we hear about him as a child, then an adult, and we get to see his struggle.

Even if you don’t like art, this book would inspire you to go after what you want, and to do things your own way.

It’s a fun bit of historical fiction! I like that it states that at the end of the book, even though it’s based on true events. The author’s note is great!

The descriptions when he’s hearing sounds or seeing colors are so poetic!

Learns:
There’s lots of room for creativity in historical fiction! I love that this one was based on true events, but still fiction.

1098 words can go by fast if you’re doing it right!

Stories are everywhere and there are many interesting people in the world. Search out something you like, see if there’s a book on it, and if not, go for it!