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What the Artist Saw
Sanatcinin Gördükleri Faith Ringgold ;Dünyayi Desen ve Renklerle Gördü
See the world through Faith Ringgold's eyes and be inspired to produce your own masterpieces. Have you ever wondered exactly what your favorite artists were looking at to make them draw, sculpt, or paint the way they did? In this charming illustrated series of books to keep and collect, created in full collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you can see what they saw, and be inspired to create your own artworks, too. In What the Artist Faith Ringgold, meet inspiring American activist Faith Ringgold. Step into her life and learn what led her to mix different media and craft powerful stories into quilts. Travel with her from Harlem, New York, to Europe, Ghana, and Nigeria. Pick a cause that you care about and try combining it with fabric or sculpture to make your own artworks!In this series, follow the artists' stories and find intriguing facts about their environments and key masterpieces. Then see what you can see and make your own art. Take a closer look at landscapes with Georgia O'Keeffe, or even yourself, with Vincent van Gogh. Try carving a woodblock print at home with Hokusai. Every book in this series is one to treasure and perfect for budding young artists to explore exhibitions with, and then continue their own artistic journeys.
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2022
5 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Sharna Jackson
24 books74 followersSharna Jackson is a best-selling author and curator who specialises in developing and delivering socially-engaged initiatives for children and young people across culture, publishing and entertainment.
Her debut novel High-Rise Mystery (2019) won numerous awards and accolades including Best Book for Younger Readers at the 2020 Waterstones Book Prize and Sunday Times Book of the Week. The sequel, Mic Drop, was released in 2020. Sharna also develops books to encourage participation in the arts, with two activity books released with Tate in 2014 (which won the FILAF award for Best Children’s Art Book in 2015) and Black Artists Shaping the World in 2021. She was Southbank Centre’s Imagine A Story Author in 2019/20 creating London/Londoff with over 1200 school children in the capital.
She was recently the Artistic Director at Site Gallery, an international contemporary art space in Sheffield, UK, and was formerly the editor of the triple BAFTA-nominated Tate Kids website.
Sharna was a member of BAFTA’s Children’s and Learning and New Talent committees and the Children’s Media Conference advisory board. She was also on the board of Sheffield Doc/Fest, New Writing North and Upswing. Every year she curates Playground – an exhibition showcasing work that blends digital play with physical objects and Ensemble – a show highlighting ethnic minority talent and achievement in the UK games industry.
Her debut novel High-Rise Mystery (2019) won numerous awards and accolades including Best Book for Younger Readers at the 2020 Waterstones Book Prize and Sunday Times Book of the Week. The sequel, Mic Drop, was released in 2020. Sharna also develops books to encourage participation in the arts, with two activity books released with Tate in 2014 (which won the FILAF award for Best Children’s Art Book in 2015) and Black Artists Shaping the World in 2021. She was Southbank Centre’s Imagine A Story Author in 2019/20 creating London/Londoff with over 1200 school children in the capital.
She was recently the Artistic Director at Site Gallery, an international contemporary art space in Sheffield, UK, and was formerly the editor of the triple BAFTA-nominated Tate Kids website.
Sharna was a member of BAFTA’s Children’s and Learning and New Talent committees and the Children’s Media Conference advisory board. She was also on the board of Sheffield Doc/Fest, New Writing North and Upswing. Every year she curates Playground – an exhibition showcasing work that blends digital play with physical objects and Ensemble – a show highlighting ethnic minority talent and achievement in the UK games industry.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 22, 2021
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Met Faith Ringgold is one of a new series of illustrated biographies of famous artists for young readers. Released 30th Nov 2021 by Penguin Random House on their DK imprint, it's 56 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a clearly told and beautifully illustrated biography of the powerhouse painter, artist, writer, and creator Faith Ringgold. The text is full of age-appropriate details about the artist's life and works. One thing I really enjoyed about this book (and the others in the series) are the reader drawing and writing prompts generously scattered throughout. Readers are invited to think about a song they enjoy and describe why they like it, to make a mask and other mixed media projects, and many more. The prompts are placed on pages with tie-in background scenes and relevant observations about the artist's life and development. Although aimed at young readers, I learned things about Ms. Ringgold I didn't know before.
This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, for the home library, and for gift giving to a young reader, perhaps bundled with some drawing tools and supplies.
Five stars. Genuinely well written and illustrated.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Met Faith Ringgold is one of a new series of illustrated biographies of famous artists for young readers. Released 30th Nov 2021 by Penguin Random House on their DK imprint, it's 56 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a clearly told and beautifully illustrated biography of the powerhouse painter, artist, writer, and creator Faith Ringgold. The text is full of age-appropriate details about the artist's life and works. One thing I really enjoyed about this book (and the others in the series) are the reader drawing and writing prompts generously scattered throughout. Readers are invited to think about a song they enjoy and describe why they like it, to make a mask and other mixed media projects, and many more. The prompts are placed on pages with tie-in background scenes and relevant observations about the artist's life and development. Although aimed at young readers, I learned things about Ms. Ringgold I didn't know before.
This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, for the home library, and for gift giving to a young reader, perhaps bundled with some drawing tools and supplies.
Five stars. Genuinely well written and illustrated.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
October 28, 2021
I am unfamiliar with the life and work of Faith Ringgold, but now I want to read more about her. This wonderfully illustrated book depicts moments from Faith's life and her inspirations for her artwork. There are two paintings in particular, "#20 Die" and "For the Women's House", that I found arresting, and after closing this book, the images lingered in my mind.
Faith Ringgold is a very talented artist, and I'm glad I got a chance to read this introduction to her life.
Thank you to Netgalley and to DK for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Faith Ringgold is a very talented artist, and I'm glad I got a chance to read this introduction to her life.
Thank you to Netgalley and to DK for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Want to read
October 18, 2022This DK Artists Book is THE Perfect book for students to learn about Artist Faith Ringgold! Awesome reading material!
(Thanks to Net Galley, Sharna Jackson & DK for this Book).
(Thanks to Net Galley, Sharna Jackson & DK for this Book).
October 25, 2021
This title is part of a series of children’s books. In each, an artist is featured; this time the talented woman is Faith Ringgold.
This is a wonderful book for kids who want to learn about art and politics; over the course of spending time with this title, they will see where the two intersect. The text is enhanced by the beautiful and engaging illustrations. On some pages questions are posed for kids to help them reflect on their own lives. There is additional information and also some suggested activities at the end of the book.
Faith’s story is well told, from her childhood in Harlem to her increasingly personal and successful career. Children learn about Ms. Ringgold’s travels and her belief in the rights of others and protesting for causes.
Before reading this book, I had known Ringgold as the author of the famous children’s story, Tar Beach. If you don’t know what a tar beach is, read the story with a child you know. I learned that there was so much more to Faith Ringgold that the little I had known.
I highly recommend this title and the others in the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
This is a wonderful book for kids who want to learn about art and politics; over the course of spending time with this title, they will see where the two intersect. The text is enhanced by the beautiful and engaging illustrations. On some pages questions are posed for kids to help them reflect on their own lives. There is additional information and also some suggested activities at the end of the book.
Faith’s story is well told, from her childhood in Harlem to her increasingly personal and successful career. Children learn about Ms. Ringgold’s travels and her belief in the rights of others and protesting for causes.
Before reading this book, I had known Ringgold as the author of the famous children’s story, Tar Beach. If you don’t know what a tar beach is, read the story with a child you know. I learned that there was so much more to Faith Ringgold that the little I had known.
I highly recommend this title and the others in the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
September 16, 2022
This title is part of a series of children’s books by DK called, ‘What the artist saw’. A brilliant collection of stories that study the lives of different artists, historical and present day, and how their art came to be.
This edition focuses on the life of Faith Ringgold. I was aware of the artist having previously encountered her work, but knew nothing of her story and what propels her. I found this to be informative and a great entry point to finding out more about her life, works and inspiration.
I read this book with my daughter, aged 9, who found this really interesting. The layout and format of the book is very engaging and accessible. She read this book with fluency and just needed some words and concepts padded out with additional explanation. Whilst there is little writing on the page, the level of writing and concepts drawn out make it a Key Stage 2 appropriate reader.
The closing section was particularly enjoyed. It invites the reader to now use art to begin storytelling themselves by suggesting different activities to get us started. The inclusion of a glossary was useful too.
A great addition to this brilliant series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This edition focuses on the life of Faith Ringgold. I was aware of the artist having previously encountered her work, but knew nothing of her story and what propels her. I found this to be informative and a great entry point to finding out more about her life, works and inspiration.
I read this book with my daughter, aged 9, who found this really interesting. The layout and format of the book is very engaging and accessible. She read this book with fluency and just needed some words and concepts padded out with additional explanation. Whilst there is little writing on the page, the level of writing and concepts drawn out make it a Key Stage 2 appropriate reader.
The closing section was particularly enjoyed. It invites the reader to now use art to begin storytelling themselves by suggesting different activities to get us started. The inclusion of a glossary was useful too.
A great addition to this brilliant series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 18, 2023
A decent enough art book for the young audiences, balanced on the creator concerned having works in the New York Met. But I struggle to rate this book as well as the previous one I saw, on Hokusai, purely because her work is of much less interest, and – as my ignorance would attest it – barely known or relevant outside the US. We get the same ideas about joining with the ethos and aesthetic and trying artworks out of our own, but with her haphazard career of art, quilting, narrative pieces and any combination of the above, I was at no time under the impression I would be following in the footsteps of a master. And yet it did just what the Hokusai book did – employ someone to mimic and represent the subject's style, give a perfectly snappy little biography and art appreciation primer. The rating is awkward here, therefore, because I will wake up in the morning not remembering who this person is, and that's not really the fault of those producing a book about her. I mean, four stars for the volume – it works as a really good and accessible piece to snap off the shelves at the Met. But I can't pretend the topic was worth that much.
September 16, 2022
This title is part of a series of children’s books by DK called, ‘What the artist saw’. A brilliant collection of stories that study the lives of different artists, historical and present day, and how their art came to be.
This edition focuses on the life of Faith Ringgold. I was aware of the artist having previously encountered her work, but knew nothing of her story and what propels her. I found this to be informative and a great entry point to finding out more about her life, works and inspiration.
I read this book with my daughter, aged 9, who found this really interesting. The layout and format of the book is very engaging and accessible. She read this book with fluency and just needed some words and concepts padded out with additional explanation. Whilst there is little writing on the page, the level of writing and concepts drawn out make it a Key Stage 2 appropriate reader.
The closing section was particularly enjoyed. It invites the reader to now use art to begin storytelling themselves by suggesting different activities to get us started. The inclusion of a glossary was useful too.
A great addition to this brilliant series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This edition focuses on the life of Faith Ringgold. I was aware of the artist having previously encountered her work, but knew nothing of her story and what propels her. I found this to be informative and a great entry point to finding out more about her life, works and inspiration.
I read this book with my daughter, aged 9, who found this really interesting. The layout and format of the book is very engaging and accessible. She read this book with fluency and just needed some words and concepts padded out with additional explanation. Whilst there is little writing on the page, the level of writing and concepts drawn out make it a Key Stage 2 appropriate reader.
The closing section was particularly enjoyed. It invites the reader to now use art to begin storytelling themselves by suggesting different activities to get us started. The inclusion of a glossary was useful too.
A great addition to this brilliant series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2021
I wish I had seen these books when my daughter was younger. I'm getting ready to teach a lesson to 6th graders on Faith Ringgold so it was timely when the opportunity to pre-read this book came across my desk. I really like the format and how it makes the artist accessible and puts their work in such great context with what was happening around them at the time. The "stop and think" prompts made even me take a pause and I found all the writing clear and engaging. I am looking forward to doing the activities described in the book with my own kids. I really didn't know much about Ringgold until the last month but I'm so glad that I had this book to help me learn and look forward to seeing other books in this series. Highly recommend for anyone looking to bring a little art history into their mix for their classes or families. I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
January 20, 2022
This is a great series, and it does a wonderful job of introducing art and artists to kids. The writing is engaging, filled with interesting, age-appropriate information and wonderful illustration, Throughout each story, there are prompts related to the art and artist being covered, inviting the reader to try out different techniques and styles of art, and readers get to see what the artists themselves were inspired by. I would've loved this series as a child!
I admit, I didn't know much about Faith Ringgold before reading this book, what a treat it was to be introduced to her amazing work, and how she expresses herself through it! I especially enjoyed learning about how she incorporates quilting and other handiwork into her art. The way she uses her art for activism, depicting the things she cares about, is inspiring, and will hopefully challenge kids to create their own stories in their art.
#TheMetFaithRinggold #NetGalley
I admit, I didn't know much about Faith Ringgold before reading this book, what a treat it was to be introduced to her amazing work, and how she expresses herself through it! I especially enjoyed learning about how she incorporates quilting and other handiwork into her art. The way she uses her art for activism, depicting the things she cares about, is inspiring, and will hopefully challenge kids to create their own stories in their art.
#TheMetFaithRinggold #NetGalley
May 23, 2022
A beautifully written and illustrated book. I’ve always enjoyed Faith Ringgold’s books and quilt artwork and have used her books for years in my classroom. This is a good companion to her own books as a way to teach my students more about her and what inspired her work. The historical context of her life and the struggles of the era and our present days is a powerful lesson for students reading this. Throughout the book there are thoughtful questions that help children make their own connections to this artist., and also a glossary to help facilitate vocabulary development. The fact that she started as an art teacher as well is truly inspiring for me. I look forward to using this in my classroom in future lessons.
October 1, 2021
Every entry makes me love this series more! This is such a gorgeous, vivid, inspiring biography of Faith Ringgold. Her story is told in accessible language with beautiful accompanying illustrations to help readers follow along with her life and understand her aesthetic.
The book is full of wonderful discussion and activity prompts, encouraging students to try out things that influenced the artist and explore ideas that were important to her. I would love to see this added to elementary and middle school classroom and school libraries.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
The book is full of wonderful discussion and activity prompts, encouraging students to try out things that influenced the artist and explore ideas that were important to her. I would love to see this added to elementary and middle school classroom and school libraries.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
September 18, 2022
I loved this book and it is perfect for young readers to get an introduction to Faith Ringgold - her work and the amazing things she did and is still doing!
I thought that this book was fun and informative, there were plenty of facts in the book and the images and photos used were brilliant - the book was well laid out, it was nice, bright and attractive too and her paintings are stunning, they really tell a story and the books covers what an inspirational lady Faith is
It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!
I thought that this book was fun and informative, there were plenty of facts in the book and the images and photos used were brilliant - the book was well laid out, it was nice, bright and attractive too and her paintings are stunning, they really tell a story and the books covers what an inspirational lady Faith is
It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!
March 2, 2022
I really enjoyed this wonderfully-put-together biography of Black artist Faith Ringgold. The writing is clear and straightforward without being dry, Andrea Pippins' illustrations add vibrancy and warmth, and thought-provoking questions accompany each spread, prompting those reading the book to consider their own thoughts with regards to their own ancestries, dreams, and artistic visions. A lovely book.
Themes: Art, Black History, Social Justice, Protest
Age range: Kindergarten-Early Elementary
Themes: Art, Black History, Social Justice, Protest
Age range: Kindergarten-Early Elementary
December 2, 2023
I learned lots about an artist whose work I’ve admired since I was a child. The narrative is easily accessible and little to no prerequisite knowledge is required for young readers to understand and interpret the information. I really found the questions carefully placed throughout the book was to be an especially useful addition. Readers are sure to make connections and be inspired and motivated to make art.
January 6, 2023
A very inspiring read. I only knew about Faith Ringgold through her picture book- Tar Beach- which I read for my Caldecott Reading Challenge. I loved getting to learn more about her and all the ways she experimented with art to express herself. I also loved that she collaborated with her mother for some projects. Hopefully, I'll get to see more of her work in person.
October 3, 2022
Great book. She is an awesome artist and favorite of mine. Beautiful illustrations with themes of racism and activism that are easy to relate to for kids and adults. I also like how the book asks critical thinking questions and encourages the student to create their own art and tell their story.
August 31, 2025
Beautiful illustrations and engaging read. I learned a lot about Ringgold and her artwork. Inspirational biography for budding artists, writers, quilters, and activists.
October 20, 2021
Faith Ringold was not a name I recognized, but after looking up some of her work after reading this book, I realized that I know her famous paintings and quilts and that her art is featured around my city often. This is the second book in this series that I've read, and I think they're great. They are informative and I think they'd be great for elementary kids. and art classrooms.
Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
August 6, 2023
Vibrantly illustrated biography of the artist. I learned so much about her life and works! Fascinating info about her bedridden childhood with asthma and proclivity to make art and see the world from a limited lens to her later works and explosive vantage in adulthood.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews