Art and Literacy: Discussion Themes for Selected Books
By Studio in a School Staff
Book: The Big Orange Splot
Author: Pinkwater, Daniel
Publishing Data: cw 1977, Scholastic, NY, NY
Themes to Discuss:
- Respect for differences and individual choices: The neighbors don’t like it at first when Mr. Plumbean paints his house differently, but eventually, they come to accept it and repaint their houses. Studio artists regularly discuss the importance of the “artist choices” made by children and compare and contrast their artwork.
- Creative utilization of mistakes or random events in positive ways: Studio artists always tell children and teachers there are no mistakes in art. The transformation of Mr. Plumbean’s house begins with a mistake or random event – a seagull dropping a can of orange paint on the roof.
- Learning to deal with changes or new things: At first Mr. Plumb’s neighbors want their street to remain the same, but gradually they come to accept that change can be a good thing.
Book: Little Blue and Little Yellow
Author: Lionni, Leo
Publishing Data: cw 1959, Harper Collins, NY, NY
Themes to Discuss:
- Friendship and respect for diversity: These are the book’s main themes, as the story revolves around Little Blue and Little Yellow’s friendship.
- Fear of rejection: At one point in the story, Little Blue and Little Yellow’s parents don’t recognize them.
- Color Blending/Transformation: Two colors can be combined to create new and different colors.
- Shape: The use of different types of collage shapes in the illustrations makes this book a perfect tie-in for torn-paper collage activities.