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Star Review - Booklist “Instructive and joyful…a top-notch combination of text and graphics.”
		The Picture that Mom Drew written by Kathy Mallat and Bruce McMillan illustrated by Kathy Mallat photo-illustrated by Bruce McMillan 1997 Walker & Company Tr $14.95 ISBN 0-8027-8617-0 RTE $15.85 ISBN 0-8027-8618-9
Using only a piece of paper and colored pencils, Kathy Mallat creates a vibrant picture right before your eyes. Watch as she combines seven basic elements of art - colors, lines, shapes, forms, shades, patterns, and textures - each described in a playful cumulative text narrated by her daughters. It all adds up to a beautiful finished drawing - and a delightfully clever surprise.
Personal Note As a little girl, two of my favorite books were The Lonely Doll, written and photo-illustrated by Dare Wright and The House That Jack Built, illustrated by Dagmar Wilson. I still have them both. The first book of mine to be published was The Picture That Mom Drew, done in collaboration with Bruce McMillan. Believe it or not, I didn't start out with the idea of using the rhythm from the text from The House That Jack Built. However, after many, many revisions it obviously made its way into the story. Also, Bruce happens to be an author and photo-illustrator of more than 40 children's books. A coincidence? Perhaps in part, but I'd prefer to think that it has more to do with the idea of books having a profound impact on the lives of children. It certainly did in mine.
Kathy, Meghan, and Erin Mallat			Kathy Mallat and Bruce McMillan
Booklist Star Review January l, l997 "Instructive and joyful... a top-notch combination of text and graphics, great for classroom use and for art teachers."
Booklist magazine
School Arts November 1997 "An attractive resource."
SchoolArts magazine
Kirkus December 15, 1996 While many a beginning concept book focuses solely on colors or shapes, this picture-book collaboration of a newcomer and a veteran introduces young viewers to additional elements of art, including lines, forms, shades, patterns, and textures. In a cumulative This-Is-the-House-That-Jack-Built text, a blank piece of paper in the hands of a mother drawing at the beach becomes a finished portrait of her two daughters. The girls narrate: "These are the lines/sketched with the colors/that brightened the paper/used for the picture/that Mom drew." Each art term is highlighted in type that demonstrates the concept described (e.g., the word lines is underlined). McMillan's trademark full-color photographs take center stage in the first few pages, then become less conspicuous as the portrait develops and becomes the focus. The photos of the creation of the drawing do not always follow the cumulative pattern of the text; instead, the camera zooms in to a specific part of the page to explore the technique. Children will enjoy the surprise of seeing close-up forms, shapes, and textures become a larger whole when the picture is unveiled in the final spread, and learn something about looking at art in the process. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)
Welcome	About Kathy	Books	Author Visits	Q & A	Email Kathy
News					Awards & Honors