Willow

Willow #1

by Denise Brennan-Nelson, Rosemarie Brennan, Cyd Moore (Illustrator)

Miss Hawthorn's room is neat and tidy, not a pencil or paintbrush is out of place. And that's how she likes it. And she likes trees that are colored green and apples that are painted red. Miss Hawthorn does not like things to be different or out of the ordinary. Into Miss Hawthorn's classroom comes young Willow. She doesn't color inside the lines, she breaks crayons, and she sees pink trees and blue apples. What will Miss Hawthorn think? Magical things can happen when your imagination is allowed to run wild, and for Miss Hawthorn the notion of what is art and what is possible is forever changed.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Fiction, School, Kids, Teachers

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mim_farahani · Rating 5 out of 5]

از وقتی گرفتم، چندین بار خوندمش :)
عالیه، برای دختراتون، پسرهاتون و معلم‌هاشون بخرید و بهشون هدیه بدین 😊

که از تغییر نترسن، که جریان ساز بودن براشون شیرین بشه!

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Willow So, the beginning is basically a version of Harry Chapin's "Flowers are Red" as the art teacher has no tolerance for variation from absolute realistic representation in artwork. Honestly, she's really awful and calling Willow a "horrid little girl" because she wants to paint a tree pink, and allowing other children to laugh and make fun of Willow, really is just going beyond being a stern teacher to verbal abuse, IMO. It just doesn't jive with the second half of the book in which Willow gives her teacher a special art book (with pink trees and blue apples) for a Christmas gift and the teacher transformed by the kindness and by the art she sees, and, for the first time in her life, doodles (one wonders why she became an art teacher in the first place?!) and has this epiphany and suddenly paints the whole classroom with a mural and is an artsy-hippie type by the time the children return to school after winter break. Just, woah. She never apologizes to Willow or thanks Willow for helping her see the light, as it were. I know it's supposed to be a book about kindness and opening a hardened heart but... the lack of any remorse or apology just didn't sit well with me. Also, the book with the flamingo-pink trees and blue apples is supposedly a real art book that Willow loves... but there is no mention in the back matter of any such artists and I think that is unfortunate.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I wonder why Miss Hawthorn became an art teacher?!)

Miss Hawthorn's art classroom is neat and tidy and students are taught to draw things in very precise ways. But Willow paints and draws what she sees in her mind when she closes her eyes. Miss Hawthorn is dismayed. When Willow shows her the beloved art book that often has inspiring, unusual paintings...much like hers...Miss Hawthorn is unimpressed. But then, sweet and creative and persistent Willow leaves Miss Hawthorn a gift as Winter Break begins. It is her beloved art book and as Miss Hawthorn looks at it, her creativity is awakened. Her art room will never be the same.

A reminder to be open to change, be open to creativity and to trying new things, and to be full of wonder and delight.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about creativity, and I like the spin that Willow is able to awaken that creativity in her grumpy art teacher through kindness. She’s a great protagonist.

[Rasta Nasseri · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب را مهر ۹۶ در ۷سالگی به تنهایی خواندم.
کتاب را از کتابخانه‌ی مدرسه امانت گرفتم.
بیدی دختری بامزه است و نمی‌دانم که چرا این جور چیزها را دوست دارم.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book that encourages children to follow their own artistic muse is an inspiration to me.

[CH - Marvin Childress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authors: Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan; Illustrated: Cyd Moore; Grade: 2-5

This is a tale about an awful art teacher, Ms. Hawthorne, who makes students sit in rows, draw and paint as she believes, not talk, not laugh, etc. She is extremely rigid and old-fashioned. Ms. Hawthorne has one student who breaks her rules by coloring trees pink, apples blue, etc. Ms. Hawthorne loathes this girl and tells her she is doing art wrong...but Willow never crumbles. Willow shows her art teacher that her interpretation of things is correct. Winter Break comes and Willow is the only student to give Ms. Hawthorne a gift...an art pad. Ms. Hawthorne becomes inspired and paints a Willow tree in the art room, and changes her life forever...all due to one little girl with ideas...Willow.

This is one of the best books I've read. It is true that some teachers kill ambition and hope in children, and this is an example of that...but Willow is such a metaphor for us all, that she demonstrates compassion and understanding. I would use this book for grades K-College. It shows that everyone can make a difference and be inspiring.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this book much more than that actual book of this book...

It was very heavy handed and played on stereotypes. I could not figure out how a teacher who hates creative thought got a job teaching art. I also wondered why someone who so obviously hated children became a teacher in the first place.

The teacher's repeated description of Willow as a 'horrid girl' made me cringe each time. How could anyone read this book to a child?!?

The ending was too simplistic for me. If only dealing with a bully - especially when that bully is the teacher - were that easy.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cutesy, in-your-face story about non-conformity and the power of imagination. Willow is a student and Ms. Hawthorne is her sour-attitude art teacher. Ms. Hawthorne want the students to only draw a particular way. Willow draws what she sees when she closes her eyes. Ms. Hawthorne remains inflexible until Willow gifts her her well-loved artbook. All of a sudden, Ms. Hawthorne feels the need to repaint the art room in imaginative decor.

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seething stringency and constant condemnation prove no match for good-natured self worth in this uplifting story of creativity, individuality and respect. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks!

You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I questioned this book at the beginning. I wondered what age group that a teacher, parent, or librarian should read it to. I know that everything that we read can not be completely positive but I still questioned it. However, the book took a turn...I have to say that "Willow" made me cry...

[Sam Bloom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too heavy-handed and unbelievable to be all that enjoyable.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five-year-old and I both loved this book about a free spirited little girl who has something to teach her uptight art teacher about originality and creativity.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art should be fun. Some teachers need to be reminded of that.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Learning goes both ways

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book ended up good, but it started off maybe a little peculiar. I mean an art teacher who doesn't tell people to be creative?

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A narrow-minded art teacher changes when kind Willow gives her a gift.I did not care for the stereotypical teacher character. The story is predictable and not too original.

[Cassie Veselovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm afraid this book is going to get missed, and I so wish that it wouldn't. Denise Brennan-Nelson is a Michigan children's author who needs attention! Brennan-Nelson posses a unique skill: the ability to teach adults as well as children with the words she writes and stories she tells. Willow is no exception.

There art books like Patrick McDonnell's Art, Antoinette Portis' Not a Stick and The Dot by Peter Reynold's that help nurture a child's creativity, but there are few that awaken lost creativity in adults. Willow is a free spirit with a mind of her own and lots of creativity to spare. Unfortunately her art teacher is a curmudgeon who attemps to stifle Willows flare. Willow, oddly enough, does not bend, and Miss Hawthorn's exterior melts enough to allow a spark of life to glow.

Excellent for K-3rd grade. Older children, or those reading on their own, might be interested in Clementine by Sara Pennypacker or Lois Lowry's Gooney Bird Greene.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love WILLOW! She is unbreakable! Willow has a moody, quite nasty, Art teacher, Miss Hawthorn. Miss Hawthorn likes things depicted as they are in nature. Willow being the free spirit she is does her own thing and paints trees pink not green! Her teacher calls her a horrid little girl for this but that doesn’t deter Willow one bit. Right before winter vacation Willow gives her nasty teacher a present. She is the only student who does. And it’s here we find the reason for Miss Hawthorn’s nasty demeanor. She has no one in her life that loves her. No one waiting for her at home. She is alone in the world. Willow’s gift is her art book. And the art book sparks a wonderful change in Miss Hawthorn.

I highly recommend Willow for all ages!

[Calyn Joy]

Willow is an imaginative little girl, but her art teacher, Ms. Hawthorne, wants everyone to create the same way. Ms. Hawthorne doesn't like Willow because the girl keeps proving her wrong. But when Willow is the only person to give Ms. Hawthorne a Christmas present, Ms. Hawthorne realizes how beautiful creativity can be.
This was a cute book. Willow seemed the right mix between respectful and standing up for herself. Ms. Hawthorne's transformation was also fun; she looked nicer after she stopped trying to be so uptight.
This book could be used to target colors, but it would also start a fun discussion about originality versus safety. Perhaps discussing what both Willow and Ms. Hawthorne got right and what they got wrong.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I can easily see myself gifting to my children's art teachers.

Willow is a precocious little girl who isn't afraid to color the way she sees things when she closes her eyes. Her art teacher is a fussy woman who never gets presents until the Christmas Willow leaves one of her most favorite things on her desk. It changes the teachers life.

I loved the Willow tree addition at the end of the book as a special gift to Willow herself that embodied the living gift she had awoken in her teacher.

A beautiful story!

[Morgan Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

My toddler did not quite understand the premise of this book, but I did and I loved it! We will definitely read it again this fall. Willow is a student that dances to the beat of her own drum and her strict art teacher does not appreciate it at all. When Christmas comes around, the only gift Miss Hawthorn receives is from Willow. When the students return from Christmas break, Miss Hawthorn completely shifts her philosophy on teaching and everyone is happy.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willow draw things in art class similar to the wild paintings in her favorite art book. Miss Hawthorn gives exacting instructions so everyone's picture will be the same. At Christmas, Willow is the only one who gives Miss Hawthorn a present. Miss Hawthorne uses that for inspiration and practices the whole vacation. Returning from break, everyone wonders where Miss Hawthorn is. She is a reformed artist.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book about a mean art teacher. She doesn't allow imagination. But Willow does it anyway, painting what she likes. No one likes the art teacher. Except Willow. Willow gives her a gift at break. It is an art book. The teacher discovers her own imagination and goes wild. She is a different person when the kids return. Everyone is allowed their imaginations to go wild.

[Ms. Arca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Willow is a bastion of creativity and artistic flair. This strength happens to be at odds with her curmudgeonly art teacher. Nevertheless, Willow continues to play with her own art and gives it to others and eventually some things turn around. Cute celebration of creativity, the characters needed a bit more depth for me.

[Lauri Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willow draw’s her imagination in a stifling rule-based art classroom. (Teacher is quite yucky) Then she starts getting in trouble for daydreaming, breaking crayons, and looking in books for inspiration. Willow’s gift of her art book, inspires teacher to rediscover her love for art. Willow doesn’t change, but Mrs. Hawthorne does.

[Brigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book! Learn how to see and make art in a new way--let the creativity flow! Anyone contemplating a career teaching art needs to read this and 'The Dot', by Peter Reynolds.

[Elaine Fong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the The Dot first. This is a nice mirror contrast to that book. Flips the role of the student and teacher as artist and mentor.

[Liakiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

LO VE
LOVE LOVE it is so intresting

[Hannah Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to have this book in my goodreads because it is fun and spunky and it shows that its okay to let your imagination run wild and it’s okay to have fun sometimes.