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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
I first read the poem that shares the title of this children's book in Alice Oswald's The Thunder Mutters and was so 'enchanted' that I wanted to read more. Oswald's collection is dedicated to the rake - an interface between a human and nature. Prevert's poem is about a wonderful young artist who is listening to the sage advice of a narrator, teaching him to be patient and think about what the bird wants, respond to what the bird does, be prepared for what the bird may do given what we know about bird behavior in general. What does it take for us to see and hear and know a bird well enough to paint a portrait?
Prevert - a popular poet, deemed a surrealist during his time - twines different dimensions together throughout the poem - human and natural, the poem and the reader, the narrator telling the boy and you the reader 'how-to', capturing only to release, the canvas of the painting and the canvas of the book. It is one of those wonderful adventures when the boundaries between are porous, disappearing, tangible but wistfully erased.
Mordecai Gerstein's illustrations are enchanting as well. Except for the first startled encounter, the boy is looking at the bird as an artist looks at his subject, the boy is focused on his painting, a serious and patient young man. Meanwhile, the bird looks at the boy as someone engaged in interesting but eccentric behavior. Will the bird enter the canvas, will the bird sing from the cage, can the bird fly off for the moon and the stars?
The poem is about painting a 'portrait' of a bird, what birder's call the 'field guide' view - perched, still, and is the bird alive enough to sing?
Prevert - a popular poet, deemed a surrealist during his time - twines different dimensions together throughout the poem - human and natural, the poem and the reader, the narrator telling the boy and you the reader 'how-to', capturing only to release, the canvas of the painting and the canvas of the book. It is one of those wonderful adventures when the boundaries between are porous, disappearing, tangible but wistfully erased.
Mordecai Gerstein's illustrations are enchanting as well. Except for the first startled encounter, the boy is looking at the bird as an artist looks at his subject, the boy is focused on his painting, a serious and patient young man. Meanwhile, the bird looks at the boy as someone engaged in interesting but eccentric behavior. Will the bird enter the canvas, will the bird sing from the cage, can the bird fly off for the moon and the stars?
The poem is about painting a 'portrait' of a bird, what birder's call the 'field guide' view - perched, still, and is the bird alive enough to sing?
I’m feeling a bit like Mary Poppins (the Julie Andrews movie version) because this book felt “practically perfect in every way.” When I worried a tad about a caged bird, my concerns were almost immediately alleviated.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t like birds, don’t appreciate art or even creativity; this book is still a winner. If you like art and appreciate the creative process, if you like nature and birds, if you like beautifully illustrated picture books, reading this or having it read to you will be an enjoyable experience.
I love what it says about the creative process, about patience, about being okay with the results of one’s efforts.
I was emotionally touched. I was amused too. I thought that the illustrations were gorgeous. I really appreciated the poem/story. This book is brilliant (I think) and utterly charming. Perfect for every age group.
I’m in love with this book.
It deserves to be a classic, and I hope that many discover it in years to come.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t like birds, don’t appreciate art or even creativity; this book is still a winner. If you like art and appreciate the creative process, if you like nature and birds, if you like beautifully illustrated picture books, reading this or having it read to you will be an enjoyable experience.
I love what it says about the creative process, about patience, about being okay with the results of one’s efforts.
I was emotionally touched. I was amused too. I thought that the illustrations were gorgeous. I really appreciated the poem/story. This book is brilliant (I think) and utterly charming. Perfect for every age group.
I’m in love with this book.
It deserves to be a classic, and I hope that many discover it in years to come.
Strange but charming. Paint a birdcage, with an open door, wait for a bird to fly in the cage...
The text is an adapted poem. The illustrations make this fly, however. A tribute to the creative process, patience, hard work, and the ability to pick up and do it all again another day.
This book is wonderful and I love it so! It's fantastical and witty while also having amazing illustrations. Highly recommended.
How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird is an adaptation of a poem by French author Jacques Prevert. Translated and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Mordicai Gerstein, it is a beautifully poetic story that is not so much about healing or even birds, but about the power of art. The story provides instructions on capturing a bird to paint, beginning with directions to sketch an inviting birdcage to attract the bird. The fantasy of this procedure is whimsical and filled with child-like creativity as it celebrates the creative process and creative solutions to difficult problems. The illustrations are beautifully rendered and seem to call to mind the very portrait that the poem calls its readers to paint.