The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola

The Art Lesson Reviews

• 
  Heather

  Welcome to "Heather over-analyzes a children's book yet again!"
  
  I got this book at the library because I thought Margaret would like it. She's in a coloring phase and thought it would go well with that.
  
  The story started off nice enough. His parents and family are supportive of his desire to do art. When Tomie gets to kindergarten, he finds the quality of the art supplies disheartening. It was a nice reminder: it's probably better that my kids have a few good art supplies than a lot of crappy ones. I think the quality of the materials definitely affects whether or not they'll want to continue with art. Who really wants to draw with those waxy crayons from the restaurant anyway?
  
  But then it just got crappy. Tomie wasn't allowed to use the crayons he brought to school- with no explanation. "You must all use these same crayons- and you can't wear down the points!" Oi. I hate that schools have rules just to have rules. And how are you supposed to use a crayon if you can't use the point? Then when he finally does have art class, it's about copying. The "compromise" of "you can draw what you like after you do what we say" is a slap in the face. "The most important things in school are crowd control and getting through curriculum. Actually encouraging you to want to learn and grow is something that might come later, after we regulate and put stipulations on you." Arg.
  
  Having worked in the schools- in fact in a school district that didn't feel art was important/academic enough for elementary schools, and having seen the herding and curriculum push, this just emphasized why I don't want my kids in schools.
  
  I think dePaola was lucky to go through all that (this was autobiographical) and still become an illustrator. I don't think he came out unscathed, though, because he doesn't seem to realize that the "happy compromise" was no compromise at all.
• 
  Janelle

  Tomie dePaola is one of my favorite children's author/illustrators. I love that this book is about how he became an artist.
  
  It also discussed how other children have other hobbies and interests and talents, and how one finds a balance between conformity/following rules, and individuality. The main focus is on how Tommy (Tomie) develops and shares his talents with the world (including through this book)
  
  I especially loved the reference to the 64 box of Crayola crayons because everyone knows the Crayola crayons drew so much better than "school crayons."
  
  This would be great to read with a few other dePaola books, and maybe follow it up with some coloring, with Crayola crayons of course!
  
• 
  Melki

  Young Tommy knows he wants to be an artist, but he has his hopes and dreams continually squashed by a by-the-rules school curriculum. I realize this is autobiographical, and every thing turned out okay in the end, but I still found it depressing.
• 
  J.N.

  My second read for Dewey’s Reverse Readathon. 32 pages.
  
  This has always been one of my favorite childhood books and it was a fun re-read as an adult. I could still relate to Tommy and wanting to be able to color with the better non-school crayons and being able to receive more than one piece of paper to draw on.
  
  I didn’t realize this was somewhat based on Tomie’s own childhood and that made this re-read even better. I’ve always loved his illustrations and this may be my favorite of his books so far.
  
  Loved seeing the support of Tomie’s family as well as the art teacher willing to compromise.
• 
  Chance Lee

  Tomie dePaola's warm illustrations and friendly attitude are always refreshing. He is able to provide a detailed reflection on his childhood in the 1940s with acceptance, and without bitterness and condescension. As a first grader, he knew himself well enough to challenge arbitrary rules in an honest, constructive way. For him, this led to a lifetime of artistic success. May we all find peace and happiness, regardless of the environment we grow up in.
• 
  Dolly

  This is a fun tale that shows the beginnings of
  Tomie dePaola's interest in drawing and his early years as an artist. The illustrations are classic dePaola and I love the characters from some of his other stories featured in the pictures in the background. The story also offers a glimpse into his family's background, with Irish and Italian extended family members, a stay-at-home mother and a father who is a dentist. The story is interesting; I love that it shows the frustration of a young child with the rigid school rules and the compromise that an art teacher offers when young Tommy is determined to have his way. I also love that it shows him discovering both his passion and talent at a very young age. I hope our girls learn while they are still young what sparks a fire within themselves, thus helping to guide them on their journey to becoming an adult and finding an avocation, not just a job.
• 
  Lisa Vegan

  This is a short autobiographical work about the artist author, and about how even as a boy he was an artist. It did bring me back to how I valued those boxes of Crayola 64 colors of crayons. (When I was a bit older and found boxes with an even bigger color selection of crayons, I was in art heaven.) I was a bit bothered by the form of the resolution this story had re the boy’s “permission” to be a the artist he was as a first grader, although Tomie dePaola certainly did ok with his background, so I guess I shouldn’t be perturbed. This book did remind me of how art is sometimes taught in ways that do not encourage the creativity almost all children possess if allowed to express it. I admit inciting my attitude is not what the author/artist seems to have had in mind when he wrote and illustrated this book.
• 
  Luann

  My college professor read this to us in my "Art of the Picture Book" class. It is another great story from the life of Tomie de Paola. He knows he wants to be an artist when he grows up, so he draws pictures everywhere - once even on his sheets until his mom finds out. When he gets to school, he is excited to have art lessons with a real art teacher, but then finds out he is required to use school crayons, use only one sheet of paper, and COPY what the teacher draws for them. He does work out a compromise with the art teacher, and happily for all of us, really did become an artist when he grew up.
• 
  Sadia Mansoor

  My 999th book here :D
• 
  Shauna

  Great biography of the author/artist when he was a little boy with wonderful illustrations, of course. He always had an interest of and a talent for drawing.
• 
  Emma

  Gotta love elementary school art. Fun times.
• 
  Julie

  Beautiful book I shared with both my kids. One that we had on our bookshelf that was read over and over.
• 
  Angelica Nucico

  This miniature autobiography is written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. This book covers only a small portion of his life in extensive detail. The last part just lets the reader know what Tomie currently does. This book is illustrated very well and the characters all actually have a little character to them even there is not much time for character development in a short story such as this. Somehow Tomie manages to make each character very personal while still getting his point across, without making the book excessively long.
  The book is a very easy read and it is sure to please. The reader wonders the whole time whether or not Tomie will ever get to draw. They are also left frustrated every time Tomie is mad because the way that the author describes his experiences is very real.
• 
  Kendra

  I have always loved Tomie dePaola's books growing up. Now, I am so happy to be able to share that joy with my own children. This book is about the author growing up and how he always thought outside the rules. I loved the simple-ness of the illustrations and yet they are so colorful. The story line is well thought of and well written. I also love the lesson that came with this story about being your own self. It's a cute story and my kids loved listening to me as I read from it's pages. I recommend checking it out.
• 
  Matthew

  As I have mentioned in several other posts, Tomie dePaola is fast becoming my favorite children's author/illustrator. Here in The Art Lesson (1989) dePaola takes up back to his childhood, the 1930s/40s, and into his world and where his love of drawing began.
  
  Tommy, Tomie's alter-ego, knows he is destined to be an artist. he draws all the time, anytime, and is really good at it. He even receives a set of crayons for his birthday and when school starts and it's announced that an art teacher is coming into his class to teach lessons, Tommy is thrilled. That is until he discovers that the teacher wants Tommy to only use the school's crayons and that he is forced to copy.
  
  Tommy knows that to become a true artist you must not copy others, but practice your own craft, your own inner self. He's very upset that he can't use his box of special crayons. There are many great hidden lessons in this book. Fairness to others, compromise, and the importance of adults nurturing young people's potential, even if they're not your expertise. I can't tell you how many times I've heard parents poo-poo their child's interests only on the grounds that the parents either don't have an interest or don't know anything about it. This is my personal opinion of course, but I feel that's the wrong approach to raising people who deserve to be creative and individuals.
  
  This book, while some might look at it as odd, should be reminded that Tomie dePaola is taking us back to the depression days. Even so, there are many threads in this story that are great for teaching purposes, while still remaining entertaining. I think any child who is artistic and you as an adult want to help lift your child's creativity, will love this book. And with more and more artistic classes being pulled more and more from school funding, I think it's an important reminder that the arts are just as important to life as sports or any other subject or extra circular activity. My rating - 5/5
• 
  FM Family

  My three year old LOVES this one. We're not sure why. It's one of those stories everyday stories where not much happens that sometimes I think kids relate to. Or maybe she's a budding artist and we haven't tapped into it yet. Or, most likely, she likes the meta quality of having a picture of Strega Nona on the wall at the end of this book, the story of the childhood of Tomie dePaola himself.
  
  I enjoyed the story even on multiple readings, and appreciate the childlike drama of getting 64 crayons and having your teacher say you couldn't even use them and you had to use the SCHOOL crayons instead. Although I will say a weakness of this story is that the solution the art teacher comes up with seems lacking. Tommy was so excited to have the opportunity to learn from a real artist, and in the end, she's just showing him how to copy and then he draws another picture on his own? I'm hoping that she's providing some art tips in there somewhere too.
  
  Anyway, great, relatable memoir of a kid and some adults just doing their best.
• 
  Ted Percival

  Disappointing story, clearly autobiographical that goes into a bit too much unnecessary detail. The lesson is that you can still use your Crayola™ crayons in art class if you follow the rules of copying the sample artwork first, even if you've learned that real artists don't copy and you have your own full set of crayons.
  
  The Crayola™ product placement is particularly jarring. They're just crayons. Kids shouldn't be making brand-identity value judgments. (Nor should adults.)
  
  It's a bit of a let down. Not an optimistic story or a strong lesson about being rewarded, just a middling tale of how maybe, after you follow all the rules, you'll get a tiny bit of leeway to actually express yourself.
  
  It might be a sad, realistic view of the world and its arbitrary rules and scant opportunity for self-expression, but that's not the kind of fun, optimistic book I want to share with my kids.
• 
  Erin Schoenherr

  1. Summary: This story is about Tommy comes from a family of artists and who loves art. He is excited for art class in school, but when he gets to school his art teacher is rude and doesn't let him be creative, the way he would like to be. Although, Tommy knows what the true meaning of art is because of his aunts.
  
  2. Review: I think this is a wonderful story to read to young children because it tells a story about a boy who loves art! This book is relatable to children in school and experiencing teachers like Tommy's. It is also relatable to children who love to draw or paint! It is a great read with great illustrations!
  
  3. This book can be paired with "Henri's Scissors" by Jeanette Winter because they are both stories that have to with loving art and being artistic!
  
  4. "Tommy knew that real artists didn't copy". This quote can be used to connect literacy to art and have the students create their own art and be creative.
• 
  Julianna Muth

  "The Art Lesson" by Tomie dePaola is the story of a boy, Tommy, who wants nothing more than to have an art class with the art teacher in school. "He could tell she was an artist because she wore a blue smock over her dress and she always carried a big box of thick colored chalk." When Tommy finally has the opportunity for his art lesson, to his horror he is told he must use just one paper, use dull school crayons, and COPY the instructed drawing lesson. Luckily the art teacher recognizes Tommy's need to create and a deal is struck. Tomie dePaola's books reference events from his childhood like "Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs," "The Baby Sister," where he paints an interesting picture of a little boy growing up in the 1940's. It is amazing to have the 20/20 hindsight and know that Tommy grows up to be an award winning, acclaimed artist and storybook illustrator. Any book by dePaola is a winner.
• 
  Brianna Nevares

  Tommy always knew he wanted to be an artist growing up and would always draw everything he saw around him. He's shocked when in his first Kindergarten art lesson the art teacher asks him to copy!
  
  This book is an example of a quality book. According to the evaluation criteria for nonfiction located in Children's Literature, Briefly, this is a quality book. I chose to use the nonfiction criteria as this book is based on the actual life of the author. On 6 out of 10 of the criteria, I scored it a 10. I think this book overall gives an accurate representation of the early life of our author. I personally loved the book and feel that my students will also.
  
  Future Educators!
  An activity you can do with your students is to have them have a conversation about things they might be passionate about, and then have them create a book based on those things. They can then share it with the class!
• 
  Lynn A. Davidson

  Tommy's favourite thing was to draw pictures. In fact, he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. Tommy could hardly wait to start school where he'd have an art teacher, but when he got to school he found out he'd have to wait until grade one. When school ended that year Tommy practiced all summer. When school started again Tommy took his new box of Crayola crayons to use in grade one. Things didn't go as well as Tommy hoped, but when he followed his teachers' instructions he found their compromise was the best way to work out his problem.
  This is a delightful story about individuality and recognizing talent.