A review by lattelibrarian
Picture This: How Pictures Work (Art Books, Graphic Design Books, How to Books, Visual Arts Books, Design Theory Books) by Molly Bang

5.0

I picked up this book because it was on the required reading list for one of my courses.  I had the pleasure of reading this before classes started, and I'm glad I did.  Bang does a fantastic job of describing and analyzing why pictures do what they do and how by doing one simple thing: cutting out shapes with construction paper.  

Molly Bang herself is an illustrator, but she wanted to get to the root of pictures by using simple shapes, simple colors, and a simple story: Little Red Riding Hood.  How do we connect Little Red and The Wolf?  How do we show that the woods are a terrifying place?  How do we make Little Red's mother look maternal while not taking the focus off of Little Red?  Bang explores these ideas fantastically, all the while using a picturebook format.   

If you're interested in art theory, or how pictures do what they do, I highly recommend reading this.  It'll likely take you less than a day to get through, and you'll learn so much!

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