In Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes Bird Artist, Margarita Engle skillfully uses poetry to tell the remarkable life story of Louis Fuertes. He began painting birds when the state-of-the-art was to shoot the bird and then arrange it in a lifelike pose. Fuertes, however, couldn’t bear to kill the animals he admired. So he invented new techniques and began painting birds from life.
Engle tells his story in first person, an unusual craft choice in a nonfiction biography. The first person works really well, though, in showing emotional engagement without letting the language become overwrought. We hear Fuertes exclaim, “I love…” and “I care…” but the rest of the language is direct and clear.
Engle includes an interesting historical note–who knew that Arm and Hammer Baking Soda used to include trading cards?!–but I wish sources were attributed.
This book is a great look at a Hispanic American hero. It would work well in a science class, looking at environmental or habitat issues. It would also be great in an art class, followed up, of course, with drawing from life!
Engle offers a fun activity kit related to the book here.
The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Aliona Bereghici. Two Lions: 2015.
I loved hearing about the artist’s passion in this book, and his talent. It is a beautiful book.
What a beautiful, inspiring story. I love stories of individuals who challenge the norm and do thinga their own way. Thanks for sharing this!
I shared this book with my fourth grade students and we all really enjoyed it. We thought it was awesome that he refused to kill the birds to create his art and just learned how to be faster. I didn’t know about the activity kit. I would maybe print a few copies of the matching activity and laminate them so that students could do it at a station. Thanks!
I love hearing about how you use nonfiction picture books with fourth graders! When I talk to some 4th grade teachers/elementary school librarians, they dismiss picture books out of hand, telling me the 4th graders will find them too babyish. Do you get pushback from your students? Is there a trick to introducing the book so that they buy into it instead of feeling condescended to?
I read this one as part of my Mock Pura Belpre Award activities. I have never had push back from older students about picture books being too young for them. I do teach from primary grades though that picture books are for everyone. In our library the E doesn’t mean easy it means for everybody. I use the example that pre-k students don’t check out the long chapter books in the fiction section, but even they can use the everybody section. I stress that picture books are some of my favorites too and I’m an adult. Here’s a post from Jillian Heise (a middle school teacher) about her use of picture books with her 7th and 8th grade students http://heisewrites.blogspot.com/2014/09/180-bookaday-read-alouds.html
I think with the use of mentor texts and close reading, it has become helpful for even high school teachers to use shorter texts making picture books very useful. Anecdotally, I believe picture books are being purchased by educators to be used with older and older students. This is wonderful. So far this year I’ve read 11 picture books with my 5th graders and 19 with my 4th.
Crystal, Thank you for this thoughtful response. I love “E is for Everybody”! Thank you so much for promoting books of all types. I appreciate the link to Jillian Heise’s site, too.
Annette
This was one of my favorite picture books I read last year. I loved the format, the illustrations, and learning about such a fascinating man. Glad you enjoyed it as well 🙂
Margarita Engle seems so prolific. I always seem to hear her name nowadays and I definitely want to check out her other books.