Still Life Stew

ISBN: 0786822066

Author: Pittman, Helena Clare

Condition: Used

Product Description Rosa grows a variety of bright and beautiful vegetables, picks them, paints a picture, and then makes them into a tasty stew From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 4AIn this imaginative picture book, Rosa grows vegetables for her still-life painting. As she picks each one, the rhythmic text describes it with an artist's eye, admiring its special characteristics: "Wide zucchini. Long zucchini./Loopy, curvy, striped zucchini./Rubbery, scratchy, oversize, and teeny-weeny." A variety of other vegetables are celebrated and the name of each one is highlighted in boldfaced type. When Rosa has gathered all of the desired objects, she paints her picture. However, there is one thing more: she cuts up her models to make a "chewy, chompy, tasty, slurpy, yummy/still-life stew." The bright, whimsical illustrations are sculpted out of colored modeling compound, baked, painted with acrylics, assembled, and photographed. Double-page spreads show a lush garden in full bloom, while other pictures focus on a particular vegetable artfully displayed on the page: a variety of peppers are practically woven into Rosa's hair, yellow and striped zucchini dance around a close-up of her red rubber boot, and green beans are strung across her open hands. A recipe for stew is included, as is a brief description of how this book was made. A fine combination of exuberant writing and art that will cheer the creative spirit.ACarolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, MECopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.