High Lexile (1000+) nonfiction: Fine Arts, Machines, Making Stuff
On this day in history: August 6
On August 6, 1928, Andy Warhol, one of the most influential artists of the latter part of the 20th century, is born Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A frail and diminutive man with a shock of silver-blond hair, Warhol was a major pioneer of the pop art movement of the 1960s but later outgrew that role to become a cultural icon.
To read morel, click here.
To learn more about Andy Warhol and his art, check out these books:
Fabulous : a portrait of Andy Warhol by Bonnie Christensen
Uncle Andy’s by James Warhola
April Art Fest
Stop by the library during the month of April to enjoy artwork and quilts from members of our community, including library staff members!
Multiplication Makes Art
Artist Stefanie Posavec creates beautiful art out of words, sentences and even multiplication. She gives each number a special shape and color, then does very long multiplication problems with them to create beautiful patterns. Here’s one example:
Check out more examples of turning math into art on her website, and then check out this book turning art into math…
On this day in history…December 12
On December 12, 1913, two years after it was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Mona Lisa is recovered inside Italian waiter Vincenzo Peruggia’s hotel room in Florence. Peruggia had previously worked at the Louvre and had participated in the heist with a group of accomplices dressed as Louvre janitors on the morning of August 21, 1911.
To learn more about this event, click here.
The Mona Lisa Caper by Rick Jacobson
The Mona Lisa Caper is based on true events that began to unfold on Monday, August 21, 1911, when Vincenzo Perugia shocked the world by stealing the most famous of the many treasures in the Louvre. Though Vincenzo was a thief, he meant well. He simply wanted to return the painting to the Italian people in the mistaken belief that it had been stolen from them. Eventually, inevitably, Vincenzo was captured in Florence and put on trial. Italians gave him their hearts for his patriotism. In fact, he received so much food, wine, clothing, and furniture, that he had to be moved to a larger cell! Throughout Rick Jacobson’s lively text, Mona Lisa herself narrates the story of her trip back to the city of her creation. The playful art Rick has painted along with his wife, Laura Fernandez, heightens the fun. Not only is it Keystone-Cops funny, it is a sound introduction to the painting that continues to delight, amaze, and mystify hundreds of years after Leonardo da Vinci’s death.
Children's Reading Suggestions 