It’s summertime and a great time to get crafty — with arts and crafts, that is! Crafts come in all shapes and sizes, from simple to complex. Some require paper and markers, and others just a natural enthusiasm for theatrical reading. With a little bit of imagination and a few easy-to-find supplies, you and your child can create pop-up cards, food from around the world and lots more. A great way to while away the longer days of summer. Take a look at any of these books to get you started!
Ashley Bryan (1923–2022) was an eclectic artist who used painting, poetry, music, collage, and prose to tell stories. Bryan fused these seemingly separate art forms within his books for children. “I try not to accept walls and boundaries and definitions in a strict way,” he says. “I would hope that everything I do is interrelated.”
Bryan is known for retelling African folktales in a distinct, rhythmic prose that is heavily influenced by African-American poetry. In 1981, his collection of Nigerian folktales, Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum, received the Coretta Scott King Book Illustrator Award. In 2012, Bryan was awarded the Coretta Scott King — Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.
