Artists Books

Though it's written in the context of a story about two lovers, the deeper message of the book is one for every human, every critter.

The book is a beautifully simple but profound little story that whispers a reminder to us all at our deepest levels to remember our soul origins and our energetic connection to Every Thing that is. All-One.

Book is so perfect I sent it to a couple of friends and bought an extra copy for myself!

The illustrations are sweet and juvenile. Gets the point across!

Well written and presented in a simple yet fun way. This story can particularly touch somebody who can relate to the story. I can think of several couples whose love story mirrors this book! Love the illustrations and simplicity of it all!

After flying through this book you'll want to read it again and again. The simple but profound message about love, and the clever, beautiful illustrations have a lasting effect. The perfect gift for anyone with a heart.

Stine's song of love is one of the few volumes you will tuck in your rucksack as you head for a desert island. Its soulful words grow effortlessly from earthy, tropic-toned pastels. It is about our journey, together and alone, our rites of discovery, as revelation leads to transformation. Save your shrink money. Read the book and cherish its timeless song.

I didn't know what to expect when I was given this book. I must say that its simple message is indeed powerful and a quick page turner to boot! It comes off as a children's book, but no, no, no, it is certainly not.

This book will make the feelings that you are trying to articulate easy to understand without going overboard. The person who gave it to me was trying to do just that.

And succeeded.

This remarkable tale appeals to all ages. It's about the wisdom that comes from reflecting on history, the value of courage in facing one's fears, and the importance of love. Best of all, it features an artist who happens to be Chinese and demonstrates that "the brush is mightier than the sword," even in "slaying" a dragon.

This is a lovely story on multiple levels with a visual presentation that captures the attention of young children. I've been reading many picture books to my little one and it's always a pleasure to find a book that honors their innate intelligence and provides a positive message. I find it one of those rare gems that delights the young and more mature alike.

This is the most wonderful children's book I have ever read. I loved it and my seven year old daughter loves it also. It tells a wonderful story about Chinese culture,love and courage. The illustration is absolutely beautiful!I've recommended it to many friends with children.

The Paper Dragon has captured the heart of all the readers I have given copies to (I am on my eighth copy). The story of a humble artist sent to task against a fierce dragon, is portayed colorfully in word and pictures. The gate style print of the pictures lend themselves to become an intergral part of the storyline.

A touching lesson is given to us all, when we find that the dragon is thankful to be released from his reign of terror, and allowed to sleep again. I have heard my five year old tell the story to her friends.

This peaceful story is a lovely way to introduce another culture to young readers, and Robert Sabuda's artwork is beautiful. Mi Fei is an artist who is content to paint scrolls and live within his community until the villagers hear that a dragon has awakened to threaten the countryside and nominate him to face the foe. After a long journey, Mi Fei finds the dragon, who offers him a series of riddles/challenges to perform. Sabuda, better known for his pop-up masterpieces, brings the story to life with breathtaking images of vibrant color and flowing imagery.

Wonderful tale.

Compulsion pulls you through the powerful woodcuts in a few minutes. Each successive reading takes longer as you discover and savor character, plot and craft. Masereel lived by the nitroglycerin theory of rhetoric--the fewer the words, the leaner the lines, the more powerful the message.

"Passionate Journey" and "The City".
Both books of woodcuts are produced by Dover Books. The presentation of both is simple but the reproduction of the woodcuts is very good. These woodcuts are as fresh today as they must have been radical when first published in 1919 and 1925 respectively. These 'books without words' are fascinating in their portrayal of the human condition. "Passionate Journey" I believe to be a true work of art. One criticism of the editions is that they lack detailed information on Frans Masereel's life and times. I would liked to have much more on the impact of his work at the time and the context with regard to German Expressionism and the Weimar Republic. These books will hopefully introduce the work of Masereel to a much wider audience. They also represent reasonable value for money.

Like the Tarot, the images here are universal and transformative. They have the additional benefit of a wry sense of humor and subtle undercurrents of a humanist sensibility.

A must have for any searcher or thinker.

When my sister gave me this book for my birthday, it was one of the greatest presents I ever received. I was inspired, comforted, and emboldened by Masereel's wordless tale of a questing spirit. Despite the fact that I've read it literally hundreds of times (almost every night when I was working in Calcutta), I always see something new in the subtle, highly expressive woodcuts. Besides the brilliance of his technique, the story Maserel tells is exciting, complex, hilarious and moving. A treaure I wouldn't trade for practically anything.

-- or is it? Masereel's remarkable little book declines to explain itself.

These 165 expressive woodcuts present snapshots from the life of one man, or so we assume. He's not all that special - he's not a great hero, leader, or lover, though he's each at one point or another. He doesn't rise above or sink below anyone else, except in the usual ways. As with Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," this book celebrates the ordinary. And, when seen in such detail, the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.

The book opens with the un-named man's arrival by train. The crowd and surroundings excite him, as does the mechanism of the train itself. Then, he's off to his new life in the city. We see that life in an uneven, even surreal pace. Masereel's vivid, expressive images hopscotch through the years of his life. Sequences of unrelated images seem to compress years into just a few pages. Other times, long sequences examine individual stories in detail - the adoption of a daughter, his happiness in her, and her final illness and death may be the most moving. It's a life-changing event, and sets the anonymous man off on a lengthy voyage, perhaps to lose himself or to find himself again. He returns to the city life, and eventually retires. The imagery changes radically at this point. It suggests Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and "Starry Night," and also hints at Van Gogh's death.

Or maybe not. The imagery speaks volumes, but speaks a different volume to each viewer - and will probably speak differently to me when I read it again. Although it's an illustrated story, it's not for children. It is for anyone who wants to see the grandparents of today's illustrated fiction, or who appreciates woodcut in itself. This Dover edition is a beautiful reproduction, with richly saturated blacks but paper opaque enough to keep each page from bleeding through. It's easy to enjoy - so go ahead, enjoy it.

//wiredweird

My son loves to read (and eat...) this book. He's only 5 months old but already I can see that he is fasinated by the illustrations. Great gift book.

This is one of those books that the more you look at the pictures, the more you see. The illustrations are both beautiful and whimsical. I also really like how many of the images are repeated throughout the book. The book is sturdy and pages are easy to turn. I've given this and its companion by Alison Jay, "ABC: A Child's First Alphabet Book," to many new parents with rave reviews!

This is an amazing book! My son is 14-months old and this has been his favorite book for a few months. He loves looking at all the pictures and has learned many of his first words from this book. He also loves searching for the little pictures in the background of each page. This is also my favorite children's book that we have. We have had it for a year and I am still finding new ways in which all the pictures are interconnected with each reading. I never tire of reading it to my son and we read it a lot! Because it is a picture book with a single word description on each page it leaves the reader freedom to elaborate and make up stories about the people and objects. It is an excellent book and I plan to give it at every baby shower and birthday party I attend.

What an amazing book! Seemingly a simple book at first, with each page "Picture This" increases in complexity and fascination. Each picture refers back (or forward) to other illustrations in the book in clever, intelligent ways. This book is a joy to read through. My son and I can't put it down when we reach the end; we immediately bounce back to the beginning to recommence our journey. I plan on giving this to every child (and perhaps an adult or two) I know.

This is a great book for a variety of ages of children. You can start by reading the little ones this book because there is only one word or label per page, such as "hill" or "snowman". So the ones who are impatient can keep flipping those pages fast as you read! When they get older and learn to read it's a great book to start with, because they can match the word with the picture in the book. And at any age it is fun to examine the gorgeous illustrations. Not only do many of the objects reappear from one page to another, but if you are paying close attention you can watch the progression of the seasons. I loved this book so much I bought it as a gift for a friend, and now we are both hooked on all books with Alison Jay illustrations!

My two sons (Zachary and Alexander) have been saving their allowance and doing extra chores to save money for a Nintendo DS (they save half, my wife & I pay half). This has been a huge deal for them because they each really want one.

Yesterday, my wife took the boys to a bookstore, and 7 1/2 year old Zach saw Zak Smith's book based on Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow". He could not, would not put it down; he was mesmerized. He's not one to want, want, want, but this, he had to have. He looked at various and sundry art-related books for at least a half hour, and kept coming back to this book. Which was $40. After much discussion and pondering, Zach was resolute: My wife had a $16 credit at the store which she let him use and he kicked in $20 of his $27 to get the book. The point is, he gave up his Gameboy money for an art book. A big deal. He said "You know how interested I am in art, Mom!"

I've read a bit of Pynchon ("Vineland") but when I've leafed through "Granvity's Rainbow" in the past, I've thought it challenging, circular, dense. Very much like, though not so much as, the uber-interpretive "Finegan's Wake" by James Joyce (referenced, coincidentally, by Zak Smith's book). So at once I was impressed; thumbing through Zach's Zak book, even more so. It IS mesmerizing; page after page of fascinating, provoking, stirring beauty. You can get lost in there.

Not only do I now have a renewed vigor to tackle "Gravity's Rainbow", but am inspired to have (with Zach's permission) Zak Smith's profoundly astonishing book along for the cerebral roller coaster, a benevolent guide to provide dazzling clues as I navigate the former's intellectually demanding jungle.

Whether $26.37 or $39.95, worth every penny...

I'm totally blown away by this book, after seeing these drawings at the Walker I had to own it. Check out his website to see all the drawings on line.

If you live anywhere near Minneapolis get yourself over to the Walker Art Center, where every single one of Zak Smith's drawings/paintings/sculptures (yes, some are three dimensional) for this project are displayed on one wall. (All are in the permanent collection of the Walker.) How do I know it's all 750+ artworks? Because I counted. 45 columns by 17 rows. You could spend hours staring at them and not exhaust this monumental project. I'm not sure how long they'll remain on display so don't put it off.

Zak Smith a genious, and this book the best.
if you like concept ilustration, you'll love it...

and the prize it's great!

I just saw the Zak Smith exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minn. where I had gone to see the "Picasso in America". But this Gravity's Rainbow page-by-page is, by far, the reason to go to the Walker right now. Mindboggling. Buy the book and picture each page lined up like a grid covering an entire wall. The Pynchon book is quite challenging to read so try to imagine Zak Smith capturing the concept of each and every page with a drawing or picture. Number 404 looks like an inch thick melted white plastic mess--does anyone know what happened in the book on this page? I noticed that one of the "tags" for this product is "genius." Believe it.

Having purchased hundreds of art books over the last 40 years, I would have to rank this book in my top 10. For over a year I was enthralled and captivated by the illustrations in this book and took the book with me everywhere, in case I had to wait for an appointment or have a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Usually even the best art book is returned to my shelf in a month or two but Raffael's art is so intoxicating. I only wish the reader could see his work in person because of their large size, otherwise, please buy several copies for you and your friends.

This is the most complete book I have ever seen on Raffael's work. As an artist, I can tell you that part of what I try to do is to understand the painter as a way of appreciating his or her work.
This book is stunning and full of information.

Beautifully printed volume on the work of watercolor painter Joseph Raffael. Very comprehensive of his work as a painter through 1998, the year in which the book was published. I'd like to eventually another book showing the work that he's done during the last 9 years.

Perfect book for the student, collector, dealer or art historian interested in this important artist. As one of America's foremost buyers of Joseph Rahael paintings, I highly recommend this book. www.LawrenceBeebe.com

REFLECTIONS OF NATURE: Paintings of Joseph Raffael is one of the most elegant monographs on a practicing artist I have had the pleasure of reading. Yes, "reading" is an operative word here. Too often artist monographs are coffee table picture books, lush and lovely to look at, enlightening as to a chronologial path of achievement, and even historically relevant - solely on the basis of the images: the written essays are seldom read and if they are read, they are merely perused. Such is not the case with this warmly informative and evocative collection of the works of this fine realist painter. Authors Amei Wallach and Donald Kuspit write with courage about techniques (use of the photograph as the springboard, method of appropriation form the photo image to the paper or canvas, etc) that would frighten most of our painters today, so revealing of secrets and methods publically scorned as "copying" or NOT "representational". But the real coups in this valuable volume is having the artist talk us through not only his techniques, but is personal history and vulnerabilites.

As for the paintings, there are splendid reproductions of those paintings we all know and love (koi, water, water lilies, flowers) but there are also many examples of Raffael's wildlife images, spiritual images, and those of his wife Lannis seeming to metamorphose out of her garden. This book is a fine standard for future art books that stirve to inform as well as document an artist's work. Even if you don't know Raffael's paintings, I would recommend your adding this volume ot your library - for you eye's AND your soul's sake. Outstanding!

I highly recommend this well-written, balanced biography of Thomas Eakins. It would be a perfect choice for readers with any level of familiarity with Eakins' paintings. I agree with the other reviewers that the book does an excellent job of placing Eakins' work in its historical context. Eakins emerges as a fascinating personality, and a guy who would have been great to know. In my opinion, Kirkpatrick deals honestly with the controversial aspects of Eakins' character, but without dwelling on them ad nauseum.

I thought that the descriptions of the paintings themselves were especially effective. The book communicated exactly the information I wanted to read about for paintings like The Gross Clinic and Max Schmitt in a Single Scull: the main points of the design, the background and tecnhical details, the dramatic impact, and the pyschological levels. I have read very few biographies of artists that were this helpful.

The book is generously and beautifully illustrated. There are 42 color plates, and each of those paintings is described in detail in the text. There are also a number of drawings, sketches, maps, and photographs (some taken by Eakins, and others of Eakins and his family and friends). The photos in particular (such as the one of Eakins, himself nude, carrying a nude female toward the camera) underscore the independent and controversial aspects of Eakins' character.

This was a very enjoyable read, and a tribute to a great artist.

A common myth of all poor starving artists is that they will be discovered after they're dead and be venerated forever. In an age when you can get rich and famous by glueing broken crockery to canvas or stuffing a dead fish into a tank of formaldehyde, it is usually a case of a poor choice of publicists than undiscovered talent and the real loser is the poor fool who buys contemporary art for a high price only to watch the value crash when the artist moves on and his work starts to fall apart or rot.

But there was a time when truly great artists did suffer. We all know about Van Gogh, but Thomas Eakins was also a classic example. Everyone loves his sports pictures and his two group portraits of heroic doctors lecturing their students (the Gross Clinic and the Agnew Clinic) even make a Christian Scientist envy those who have chosen the medical profession.

But for my money, his portraits stake the primary claim to Eakins' greatness. His sitters usually refused to accept their portraits, some destroyed them, others refused to sit at all (Mr. Kirkpatrick quotes one lifelong friend of Eakins who always refused to sit for him because he was afraid that Eakins would uncover what he had spent his lifetime trying to conceal).

And I'd imagine that viewing your Eakins-painted portrait for the first time must have been an eerie, almost supernatural event. Looking at his splendid portraits today, you KNOW the subjects, their hardships and triumphs, their hopes and fears. These are not prettified and bowdlerized pictures to hang on a wall, these are the real thing. It is as if Eakins stripped away the skin of his sitters to reveal the pure psyche underneath. They are beautiful and informative and moving. Fifteen minutes with an Eakins is more enlightening than a month in a room of Sargeants.

Mr. Kirkpatrick's fine biography is one of the best on any subject. He manages to capture the man and his times and the man IN his times, in a way that few biographers can accomplish. He manages to make the story exciting, even as he takes the reader through an almost brushstroke by brushstroke description of Eakins' painting process.

At first, my only reservation was the title. The point of it is to show how Eakins fame after death was his revenge for the tragedy of his career (a close and valued student conspiring to replace him, loss of reputation for insisting on painting things as they are, base and highly publicized accusations [about which Mr. Kirkpatrick carefully assembles the evidence for and against, describing the scandals as fairly and dispassionately as he can], rejection of his works, etc.), but the author discusses Eakins death only two pages before the end of the book, hardly enough time to develop the world's slow acceptance of Eakins' genius.

But then I realized that the book itself is Eakins' revenge. Very few people of even the first rank ever have a biography written about them as fine as this one. This book will be read as the classic text for the next one hundred years and it should be read, merely for its quality, by everyone no matter how slim their interest in American painting.

I have read and enjoyed several of Kirkpatrick's other books (on very different subjects), and was eager to see how he would handle a subject as complicated and controversial as Thomas Eakins. Through his telling of the Eakins story, the reader becomes privy to moments of nearly cosmic dimension as well as deep emotion. It's utterly convincing, lucid and intelligent, highly informative and extremely compelling. His most moving book to date.

When I picked up this very well done bio the little I knew about Eakins was the wonderful scull portraits, the shad fishing pictures and that a vague scandal surrounded his name. Now having read almost 500 pages, I want to know even more and there is a lot more to know.

Kirkpatrick covers the whole life, giving balance to each stage. It is a full book. There is no "filler". The research and background knowledge of the author shine forth on every page. The author shows great restraint in sticking to the known facts, otherwise this would be a 1000+ page book!

For instance, Eakins' fixation with the body, down to using mechanical contraptions on dead animals to demonstrate movement to students is factually presented. It is not sensationalized or psychoanalyzed. Similarly, whether Eakins was oblivious to or had discounted the consequences of asking so many females (again and again) to pose nude in this Victorian age is not discussed. The known instances of these invitations and the resulting alienation of those who said no, and the alienation of the friends and families of those that said yes are covered. With this background we learn the known facts of the tragedy of his niece Ella, and student Lillian, and about accusations regarding his sister Margaret. There are some documented opinions of family members, but the author stays with the known record.

No wonder, the self portrait that adorns the cover shows a tortured man with barely restrained sadness and anger.

It's ironic that the lack of appreciation for Eakin's works served to maintain the integrity of the collection for future generations. It's interesting that due to the nondescript Charles Bregler's collecting and acquiring memorabilia of his beloved teacher, today's researchers have a large collection of personal letters, photos and sketches to work with.

This is a very readable book. It is rich in plates and photographs that illuminate the text. I am ready for another biography to take on the "whys" of this remarkable life.

I find all of Kirkpatrick's books to be great reads. They combine impeccable scholarship with elegant style and profound insight. As I am interested in art, I found this one to be especially powerful -- the first major biography of Eakins that brings this enigmatic man into focus for me. Kirkpatrick has filled in the puzzling gaps in Eakins's life and brought new and unexpected meaning to Eakins's artistic and personal struggles against the conservative art establishment in Philadelphia that denied him recognition in his lifetime.

Nobody paints like Jon Foster. Nobody.

There's something wild about the idea of this maverick artist, a brush-swinger in an age when illustrators live by the mouse-click, who paints these beautiful, unique and powerful works. At his best, Foster's work doesn't feel like a guy illustrating an assignment; it feels like he's offering us a peek at a natural and functioning world that truly exists-- in his head if nowhere else.

Really, the man is unbelievable. Un. Believe. Able.

Friend of mine bought this book and showed me today, I had Jon Foster's previous book that some of the images are the same but I couldn't resist to order this one.
Jon made more amazing paintings, some of them is really good and much better then old stuff.
Also price of the book is reasonable. If you are an artist you have to own it.

Jon Foster's a great artist. Everyone knows that. He makes painting of the moment right in action, which makes it so interesting.

One thing I wish they could've include in this book is how he works. Maybe a little tutorial. That would be the best.

If you're a fan of his, this is a much have. If you like digital artist, get this book.

If you love modern masters like Ashley Wood, Phil Hale and so on, you'll love this book. Wonderful paintings. wonderfully photographed . wonderfully printed.

The postman arrived about an hour ago. I opened the parcel, the book and got lost in Jon's worlds.
I just shut it and I felt need to get this out now.
I first got hooked by Jon's art as I read Liz Williams' Inspector Chen novels. His covers are amazing. Before starting the novels, you are pulled into a world you wouldn't imagine.
My compliments also go to Underwood Books, the publisher. What a wonderful book, good paper, terrific reproduction quality!
Now to Jon's art. Like film stills each picture tells a story, moves like the wind and/or crackles like a rusty robot. You're there, in the tree with the kid amidst the red and golden leaves, next to the sizzling dragon, in a boat in the storm during the revolution, fighting the zombies as part of a hot-babe team. The list goes on and on.
Clearly influenced by the timeless classic masters in painting and illustration, Jon Foster has developed his own terrific style. No matter what material, oil or digital, which assignment, for National Geographic, Lucas Film, Books of Magic and tons of others, every single picture will fascinate you and pull you in as they do me.
If you would want to compare him - which I wouldn't cause he is entirely his very own terrific self, but still, if, then sometimes Vermeer and Rembrandt come to mind, or Ashley Wood, Kent Williams, even a hint of Frank Frazetta. But, as I said, don't, don't compare, just enjoy.
Perfect compositions, wonderful lighting, well chosen moments and characters - no flaws, except... please more of his terrific work.

I salivate over this book, and look at it daily. Diebenkorn has always been a big inspiration to my artistic endeavors, and the images in this book (plus the text, which is well written) is such a treat. Really covers it all!

Good book at an excellent price. It is worth it. Good pictures. Reading a little bit heavy.

I give it a 5 star because the content was exactly what I was looking for. To own a book by the author is difficult to find. The text is very informing and the photo's are true to color. I am always interested in abstract art, and I found it very informing.

One of the best art books I have read so far. The reproductions do justice to this master of color, virtually unknown outside the U.S.and, as a French reader,thanks to this book, I discovered one of the most impressive achievements in recent modern art: the Ocean Park series which Diebenkorn painted in the late 60's and early 70's. The other aspects of his oeuvre are, in my opinion, not as imposing, but to understand an artist, it is necessary to have a global vision of his output, and this is what this book manages to give.

Excellent monography about a painter all to discover; all the periods and technics are overviewed in a very pleasant language; a lot of place for reproduction of works of Diebenkorn and reproduction work is very meticulos. So, probably the best book about the work and life of Richard Diebenkorn

Stifled by Bangladeshi social norms that restricted her ability to engage in the community and work for pay, Naima felt frustrated that she could not earn money to help her family. Without enough money to pay for school fees, her parents had already withdrawn Naima from school, and now her younger sister faced the same fate. Her father had to work from dawn until midnight everyday as a rickshaw driver to generate enough earnings to also cover the loan payments on his new rickshaw.

These pressures, combined with her creativity, audacity, and cleverness, led Naima to decide that she would disguise herself as a boy and earn money by driving the rickshaw. Her first attempt to operate the vehicle would have marked an adventurous first step in this bold plan were it not for the long hill, sharp curve, and thick thorn bushes. Naima escaped unharmed, but Father's brand new rickshaw was badly damaged. Naima is devastated, and quite some time passes before she comes up with a new plan that better utilizes her talents.

Rickshaw Girl gets top ratings for delivering an entertaining story that is chock full of valuable economics lessons. The reader experiences a poignant account of the challenges associated with living in poverty in a country where traditional customs still limit women's economic and social opportunities. Also woven in are lessons about entrepreneurship, the need for financial capital to start a business, and the importance of microfinance for individuals - such as the woman who owned the rickshaw repair shop - who otherwise may not have been able to secure a loan. Weighty issues perhaps, but most children will be enthralled by the plight of a spunky girl who damages her father's most valuable possession and needs to make amends.

A lovely book for younger readers - a wonderful topic, just the right words, just the right length, just the right amount of detail. I loved the action plot and Mitali's descriptions of Bangladesh.

Mitali Perkins has created yet another wonderful novel about strong, cultural girls. In Rickshaw Girl, we meant Naima, a ten-year old girl living in Bangladesh. Her father owns a rickshaw business, finally gaining more business as he gets a brand new rickshaw, but still not enough business to pay the family bills. Naima is upset because she knows if she had been born a boy she could help earn money for the family, but being that she is a girl she has no choice but to stay home and work on her painting.

When Naima decides to disguise herself as a boy and teach herself how to drive the rickshaw, she manages to crash the rickshaw, damaging the beauty of the cart and ruining all chances of her father continuing to gain new clients. Devastated, she again disguises herself as a boy and steals away to a new repair shop the next town over, hoping she can somehow earn money to help repair the damaged rickshaw. What she finds in the repair shop is surprising, heartwarming, and inspirational.

This short novel was fantastic and typical Mitali Perkins writing. Young girls can read this and feel empowered to do anything they want to do, no matter what that may be. The story is also accompanied by a few illustrations that not only add to the plot, but also allow the reader to view the work Naima can do. The book was really quite amazing.

There is a dearth of books for kids who are just taking off with their reading skills, which makes this story all the more welcome. Readers will meet Naima, a young Bangladeshi who is struggling with her family's financial troubles and her place in the family as a girl. Traditionally, girls are not allowed to work or earn money, but her father sure could use the help. Naima cleverly devises a way to help her family and empowers herself along the way.

Set in Bangladesh, readers will get a glimpse of life in a foreign land and a culture quite different from the American standard. With Bangla words interspersed in the text, readers are introduced to a new language, as well.

If you have an elementary-aged reader who wants to learn about other cultures, "Rickshaw Girl" is a terrific book. It tells the story of Naima, a young girl known for her painting skills, yet feeling powerless to help her family's finances (girls can't do anything but cook, clean, and decorate, she says!).

To her surprise, a woman in a neighboring village has opened her own business -- painting rickshaws! Can Naima convince her family to let her become an apprentice to this forward-thinking woman?

Told in easy-to-understand language with just enough foreign vocabulary (with a glossary, too), "Rickshaw Girl" will show young readers that even in the most desperate circumstances, everyone can contribute to a solution.